Gulls Celebrate Frontline Heroes & Offer Vaccinations on Friday
June 24, 2021 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, RI - The Newport Gulls 2021 season has been exciting to say the least. Although the team did not play last summer, Newport has not skipped a beat, providing family-friendly entertainment and high-quality baseball at Cardines Field as it has done throughout its 20-year history.
On the field, the Gulls find them on top of the New England Collegiate Baseball League Southern Division standings after two weeks of play, as well as the league- leader in fan attendance. Each night at Cardines the organization presents a theme in conjunction with the game's sponsor. Unfortunately, Opening Night on June 4 was cancelled due to rain but had been sponsored by Newport Hospital. As part of the theme, the Gulls, Newport Hospital, and Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) offered vaccinations to the public with the incentive of free admission to those that chose to participate. Despite the rain, vaccinations were still offered at the Newport Marriott across street from Historic Cardines Field.
"Cancelling a game is never easy, especially Opening Night when there is so much going on.", said Newport Gulls Director of Baseball Operations Michael Falcone. He continued, "The Gulls are extremely appreciative that the Newport Marriott allowed us to offer vaccines at their facility once it became evident, we couldn't do so at the park as planned."
Vaccines were offered from 2:00PM-5:00PM and fortunately saw individuals take advantage of the local clinic even though the game was cancelled. It was decided that Pfizer vaccines, which is currently available to those age 12 and older, is the best option for this partnership as many of Gulls fan base are adolescents younger than 18.
Friday, June 25 is set to be Frontline Heroes Night, sponsored by Aspire Dermatology. RIDOH, Lifespan and Newport Gulls will once again be offering the opportunity to get vaccinated prior to the start of the game at The Clubhouse. Individuals that get vaccinated at the park will receive a free ticket to the night's game.
It is the goal of the night to celebrate and honor the frontline workers whose tireless efforts allowed the Gulls get back on the field this summer, but more importantly to allow everyone to be safe and return to normalcy. The Gulls acknowledge that the battle is still being fought but are thrilled to see how far we have come since just one year ago.
"Rhode Island's vaccination progress continues to be strong because of partners like the Newport Gulls who are stepping up to help us make getting a vaccine as convenient as possible," said Governor Dan McKee. "We thank the Newport Gulls for their collaboration and join them in recognizing Rhode Island's frontline heroes for their commitment to caring for our communities and keeping Rhode Islanders safe."
Please consider joining the Newport Gulls this upcoming Friday, June 25, for Aspire Dermatology Frontline Heroes Night. Gates open at 5:00PM and the First Pitch is at 6:35PM. Vaccines will be offered from 3:00PM-5:00PM by the Lifespan Community Health Institute. The Gulls thank RIDOH for their support. Please visit health.ri.gov for further information.
The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation's top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations - totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-time champions of the NECBL - the winningest franchise in league history - and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.
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