Rawlings Teams Up with the Cardinals and Royals to Help Joplin

Autographed commemorative on-field baseballs and equipment trade-in to drive donations

ST. LOUIS, Mo., June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., in partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals and the team's non-profit foundation, Cardinals Care, will launch two initiatives beginning this weekend to support the continued relief efforts to help Joplin, Missouri recover from the devastating tornado that tore through the city in May.)

When the Cardinals host the Kansas City Royals for the 3-game series this weekend, both teams will be wearing commemorative "Teams Unite for Joplin" jersey patches on their uniforms.  Rawlings also produced authentic baseballs for the games featuring the commemorative logo.

St. Louis-based Rawlings, a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation, donated a number of player-autographed commemorative baseballs to both the Cardinals and Royals for the teams to include in their online auctions, with proceeds going towards the Joplin relief effort.

"Rawlings has called Missouri home for almost 125 years, with the Joplin area serving as a vital component to our business operations," said Mike Thompson, senior vice president of marketing for Rawlings.  "We are proud to work with our partners at the Cardinals and Royals to create new avenues to help the Joplin community rebuild itself in the coming weeks and months."

In addition to the online auction donation, Rawlings and the Cardinals Care will donate all gently-used equipment collected during the next Rawlings Replay trade-in event prior to the Thursday, June 23rd game versus the Philadelphia Phillies.  Rawlings will also match the public's donation with new equipment across all product lines.

"Considering what Joplin has gone through, we hope that providing baseball equipment and restoring even a small aspect of their routines will help bring some level of normalcy for these families' and children's lives," said Kurt Hunzeker, Rawlings' senior director of brand marketing.  "Whether it's a simple game of catch or a neighborhood sandlot game, we want to provide an escape for Joplin's residents to enjoy amid the rebuilding effort."

The Cardinals will set up Rawlings Replay bins at every gate entrance for next Thursday's game.  All fans who donate an item to Rawlings Replay will receive a 10-percent discount on select Rawlings products at its official online store, ShopRawlings.com.  Cardinals Crew Kids Club presented by Rawlings members will receive a 20-percent discount if they participate in Rawlings Replay.

About Rawlings

Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods in the United States.  Since the company's inception in 1887, Rawlings' mission has always centered on enabling participation by developing and producing innovative, high-performance equipment and protective apparel for the professional, amateur and entry-level player.  With an assortment of baseball, basketball, football and softball game-related product lines, Rawlings is present everywhere team sports are played.   Leagues and conferences of all skill levels integrate Rawlings' unparalleled product portfolio into their sports: as the Official Baseball Supplier and Official Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball for the NCAA®, the official football for the NAIA®, the official basketball for the NAIA, NJCAA® and AAU®, and the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®.