9/23/2011 - SADS Wins $18,000 from State Farm and Major League Baseball!

State Farm®                                         
Providing Insurance and Financial Services   

Contacts:
Laura Wall                    Melissa McKinley               
SADS Foundation                  State Farm Insurance           
(801) 641-7148                    (309) 766-0625               
laura@sads.org                      melissa.mckinley.qxwl@statefarm.com   

For Immediate Release

State Farm® and Major League Baseball® Go To Bat for the SADS Foundation
Charity captures ninth weekly $18,000 donation

Salt Lake City, Utah (Sept. 23, 2011) –  State Farm® and Major League Baseball® (MLB) today announced that the SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes) Foundation has earned the ninth weekly $18,000 charitable donation in the State Farm Go To Bat program – an online, charitable giving initiative driven by the State Farm commitment to helping communities get to a better state.

Supporters of the SADS Foundation, an organization dedicated to saving lives and supporting families of children and young adults who are predisposed to sudden death due to heart abnormalities, posted the highest Go To Bat game batting average during the program’s ninth week. By doing so, they helped the organization receive one of 10 weekly $18,000 donations.

“The SADS Foundation is thrilled to receive this generous gift from State Farm,” said Laura Wall, vice president of marketing and development for the SADS Foundation. “Each year, nearly 4,000 US children die to undiagnosed SADS conditions. By raising awareness of the warning signs of SADS, and partnering with excellent companies like State Farm, we will save young lives.” 

The SADS Foundation exists to support the families and save the lives of those affected, to raise awareness, to advocate for increased research, and to educate physicians about SADS.

“The Go To Bat program is a great example of our commitment to helping causes and individuals get to a better state,” said Todd Fischer, manager of national sponsorships for State Farm. “We’re thrilled that the SADS Foundation is our ninth weekly winner and we know that the $18,000 donation will be put to good use to support their important mission.”

In addition, Janice Barry of Homewood, Ill., who went to bat for SADS Foundation, is the program’s ninth individual winner and will be awarded a trip for two to the 2011 MLB World Series. At this year’s MLB World Series State Farm also will present a $25,000 donation to the charity that finishes the promotional campaign with the highest Go To Bat game batting average.

Charity supporters and baseball fans can still go to bat for their favorite causes by visiting www.statefarm.com/gotobat and swinging for the fences in the State Farm Go To Bat game to increase the batting average of their selected charity. Players can better both their and their charity’s chances of winning by playing the online game on a daily basis, and sharing their participation on Facebook to get an additional home run and challenging their friends to “Go To Bat” for something that is important to them. The Go To Bat program concludes on September 26.

For more information on the Go To Bat program, visit www.statefarm.com/gotobat.