Tornadoes Complete 200th School Visit

Published on May 30, 2008 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Worcester Tornadoes News Release


Worcester, MA -- The Worcester Tornadoes are pleased to announce that Community Relations Director Dave Smith has completed his 200th school visit since the end of the 2007 season.

Smith, who is also the Tornadoes Third Base Coach, schedules and leads every school visit. Smith's program teaches children about a number of topics, including the importance of reading, being active and staying healthy, showing good sportsmanship, and careers in sports or sports management. This year, Smith's presentations feature the "Keep the Magic Alive" theme, in which he incorporates a variety of magic tricks into his program. Smith is accompanied in his school visits by a variety of guests that may include Tornadoes coaches, players, Manager Rich Gedman, and team mascot, Twister.

The Lincoln Street School in Shrewsbury became school number 200 when Smith made his visit the morning of Friday, May 30. He still has another 20 school visits scheduled before summer vacation. Smith estimates that he has brought his message to over 37,000 students in schools in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut since the beginning of the current school year, and over 100,00 students in the three years he has been running his program. These children had the chance to meet Tornadoes players, coaches and Twister, and hear Smith's important messages, all with a fun, baseball theme.

Thanks to a generous grant from Tornadoes Board of Directors member Mary DeFeudis, every student that Smith visits receives a complementary community education booklet. The glossy booklet includes an outline of the Tornadoes' Community Education Program: The importance of reading, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and showing good sportsmanship, as well as information about Tornadoes baseball camps, birthday parties and the Tornadoes Tykes Club. A monthly essay contest to promote writing offers students a chance to win a pair of tickets to a 2008 Tornadoes home game and an activities page features Tornadoes-themed trivia, a word scramble and a word search. Finally, the back of the booklet includes a voucher good for one grandstand ticket to a 2008 Tornadoes game, to thank students and fans for their support of the team.

The visits are free of cost, and are set up based on the needs and schedule of each individual school. The program is intended for schools within a 45 mile approximate radius of Worcester . To schedule a school visit or for more information about the Worcester Tornadoes School and Community Education Program, please contact Dave Smith at 508-792-2288 or dsmith@worcestertornadoes.com.

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