FRISCO, Texas--Fans filled Dr Pepper Ballpark to cheer on 10 of their favorite Dallas Cowboys as they stepped up to the plate in the seventh annual Reliant Home Run Derby. The Cowboys’ bats came alive and the team raised a total of $50,000 for the Gene and Jerry Jones North Texas Youth Education Town of The Salvation Army Arlington.

The Dallas Cowboys join Reliant to present $50,000 to the The Salvation Army Youth Education Town at the 2018 Reliant Home Run Derby. The seventh annual event brought hundreds of fans out to cheer on the Cowboys as they traded football cleats for baseball bats to raise funds for charity.

Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith was a powerhouse at the plate, named the 2018 Reliant Home Run Derby champion, hitting a total of 12 home runs and raising $13,700. The Cowboys players were split into two teams representing the offense and defense. Before a final bonus round that doubled the donations, team offense raised $13,800 and team defense raised $12,200.

Last year’s Home Run Derby also raised $50,000 for The Salvation Army, and over the course of seven years the event has raised more than $330,000 for various local charities.

“The Reliant Home Run Derby is such a fun and impactful way for us to give back to the Dallas-Fort Worth community each year. We love joining forces with the Dallas Cowboys to support this wonderful organization that empowers young people to reach their full potential. This is just one of the many ways we support the communities where we live and work,” said Elizabeth Killinger, president, Reliant.

These Cowboys joined Coach Jason Garrett to put power behind the bat for a good cause:

~ Tyrone Crawford

~ Ezekiel Elliott

~ Travis Frederick

~ Jeff Heath

~ Byron Jones

~ DeMarcus Lawrence

~ Zack Martin

~ Dak Prescott

~ Jaylon Smith

~ Tyron Smith

Rowdy, the Cowboys mascot, pumped up the crowd, and baseball players from Frisco’s nine high schools helped shag balls in the outfield. The National Anthem was performed by the Cowboys’ Rhythm & Blue Drumline Squad. Also joining and participating in the special event were the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and The Salvation Army’s mascot, Captain Kettle.

“We love being able to partner with a great organization like Reliant and help raise funds for local nonprofits. Bringing our players out to show off their batting skills and entertaining the fans makes for a great day,” said Charlotte Jones Anderson, executive vice president and chief brand officer, Dallas Cowboys.

Giving Back across Dallas-Fort Worth

Reliant supports local communities through volunteerism, charitable giving and partnerships with a variety of organizations. In 2017, more than $4 million was donated to different Reliant-sponsored causes with employees giving more than 8,000 volunteer hours.

Before the Cowboys took the field, Reliant brought together local Dallas media to show off their baseball skills and raise money for their charity of choice. An additional $25,000 was raised for eight nonprofits across the area. The lineup included:

~ Courtenay Dehoff, KDAF-TV (CW) on behalf of Equest

~ Pat Doney, KXAS-TV (NBC) on behalf of A Wish with Wings

~ Marc Fein, KXAS-TV (NBC) on behalf of the Children’s Tumor Foundation

~ Tristan Hallman, Dallas Morning News on behalf of UT Southwestern Cancer Center

~ Laila Muhammad, KDAF-TV (CW) on behalf of Dress for Success Dallas

~ Shannon Murray, KDFW-TV (Fox) on behalf of Girls on the Run

~ Kyle Roberts, WFAA-TV (ABC) on behalf of Cleaning for a Reason

~ Alanna Sarabia, WFAA-TV (ABC) on behalf of The Love Pit Rescue

SOURCE: Reliant

Copyright Business Wire 2018.

Hispanic Outlook is an education magazine in the US available both in print and digital form.  Visit https://www.hispanicoutlook.com/education-magazine for information about our latest issue.

Renew your subscription to Hispanic Outlook here