Steamwheelers and Happy Joe's Announce Second Annual Pizza Bowl Charity Game
March 9, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
(Davenport, IA) - The Quad City Steamwheelers and Happy Joe's have teamed up for the second straight season to present the Happy Joe's Pizza Bowl Charity Football Game, which will be on O/S Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities on Thursday, March 23 at 7:15 p.m. The Steamwheelers will be squaring off again against the Green Bay Blizzard who won last year's tilt by a score of 48-47.
"This may be a pre-season game for us, but no matter the outcome, special needs kids all over the Quad Cities are the winners," said Larry Bush, majority partner/operator for the Steamwheelers. All proceeds from tickets sold at Happy Joe's and funds raised during the game will go to the Happy Joe's Special Needs Children Foundation.
Pizza Bowl Kicks Off Foundation
The game is the inaugural event for the new Happy Joe's Special Needs Children Foundation. The foundation continues the mission of Happy Joe's over the past 33 years of providing support to organizations that serve special needs children in the Quad City community. Last year's Pizza Bowl raised over $5,000.
"This is Happy Joe's Second Annual Pizza Bowl." said Kristel Whitty-Ersan, Director of Marketing for Happy Joe's. "Happy Joe's has always been dedicated to the cause of special needs children and every dollar from the tickets at our stores will go to the Happy Joe's Special Needs Children Foundation to help children in the Quad Cities on both sides of the river. Happy Joe's has always been known for what we have given back to the community and this event is yet another way the Steamwheelers and Happy Joe's can help our community."
Tickets for the game will go on sale at the 22 Quad City area Happy Joe's locations at a discounted price starting Thursday, March 9. Tickets purchased in-store will cost $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children 14 and under. Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets at The MARK box office starting the afternoon of March 23 at a cost of $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. There will also be an opportunity during the game for fans to make donations.
Happy Joe's will be selling tickets for the game in the following Illinois cities: Aledo, Coal Valley, Colona, East Moline, Galesburg, Geneseo, Kewanee, Milan, Moline and Rock Island. In Iowa, the following Happy Joes will have tickets available for purchase: Bettendorf, Burlington, Clinton, Davenport, DeWitt, Eldridge, LeClaire, Maquoketa and Muscatine.
"The Steamwheelers and af2 have a proud tradition of being actively involved in our local communities and this partnership is just one of the many ways the Steamwheelers are able to give back," said Mr. Bush. "This year, our goal is top last year's mark of $5,000; but we'll need to fill The MARK to make that happen."
More Than A Preseason Game
Even though the game is a preseason warm-up, that's no reason to think it won't be exciting. The game will match-up the Quad City Steamwheelers and the Green Bay Blizzard for the second straight season. Last season Green Bay took the Pizza Bowl trophy back to its Happy Joe's franchises in Green Bay with a 48-47 victory over Quad City.
The preseason game gives both teams a chance to size up their rosters in live game action.
"This partnership is great for a couple of reasons," said Steamwheelers head coach Rick Frazier. "The most important cause of course is the fact that we are going to be able to help a great charity in the Quad Cities. From a football standpoint, however, we are very appreciative of having the chance to play in a preseason game. We can only do so much through intra-squad scrimmages and this gives us a chance to face a real opponent. This is a win for the Quad City community as we are able to help give back and this is a win for us as we get ready for the season opener."
Continuing A Tradition Of Community Involvement
Happy Joe's, was founded by "Happy Joe" Whitty in 1972, and has 65 units in six different states. The company is headquartered in Bettendorf, Iowa. When "Happy Joe" Whitty opened his first store he made a vow that if his store was successful he would give back to the community. From the very first year Happy Joe's has been involved heavily in philanthropy efforts in the Quad City region. Happy Joe's has done work through numerous charitable organizations including the Handicap Development Center, Children's Therapy Center and The Make-A-Wish Foundation. In addition, "Happy Joe" Whitty started a tradition that continues today of closing down the pizza parlor for a day to throw a Christmas party for special needs children. Through these annual Christmas parties, Happy Joe's has served over 150,000 special needs children. Happy Joe's prides itself on being an active member in the community in which they operate and as the company is now growing into new markets, they plan to continue their dedication and commitment to special needs children.
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The Quad City Steamwheelers is the official, af2 professional football club of the Quad Cities. The team's first game is scheduled for Friday, March 31, 2006 against the Arkansas Twisters. The Steamwheelers play home games at The MARK of the Quad Cities in Moline, IL. For ticket information, please call (563) 324-4888. The Quad City Steamwheelers, af2 and Arena Football are licensed properties of Arenafootball2, all rights reserved. Look us up online at www.steamwheelers.com or www.af2.com. Information for die-hard Steamwheeler fans can be found on the official, Quad City Steamwheelers Fan Club web site: www.SteamwheelerFans.com.
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