June 5, 2008
Show Husky pride at Safeco Field July 18
Raise your hand if you love: a. baseball, b. having a fun night out with friends and colleagues, c. supporting student scholarships at the UW.
OK, that’s pretty much everybody. Hands down — let’s go to the ball game!
The UW Alumni Association is teaming up with the Leadership, Community and Values Initiative to offer Husky Summer Celebration Night with the Mariners, an evening of baseball on Friday, July 18. On that evening, starting at 7:10 p.m., Seattle’s Mariners will face the mighty Cleveland Indians for an evening of America’s pastime under the retractable roof.
Not only are tickets discounted from the regular price of $20 to $17, but each ticket purchased will send $6 to the Husky Pride Fund, a scholarship maintained by the Alumni Association that provides emergency help for strapped students.
There are other perks, too. Free purple and gold Mariners T-shirts will be distributed throughout the game, and the first 25,000 in attendance will also get a free Felix Hernandez bobblehead. The UW’s Harry the Husky also will be on hand, socializing in the crowd.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and to raise money for the Alumni Association,” said Mindy Kornberg, UW vice president for human resources. “It’s about having fun and feeling a part of a community — and about doing good.”
Paul Rucker, director of alumni relations and programs for the UW Alumni Association, agreed, adding that the UW is uniquely suited for such get-togethers. “One of the reasons why we’re able to have success is that so many of our alumni — about 65 percent — are still living within an hour of the University.”
When you have so many alumni so close, ranging in age from 22 to 92, Rucker said, “You try to find a way to bridge shared values among us, and what’s better than baseball?”
Plus, he said, teaming the Alumni Association with the LCVI effort helps underscore the multiple connections the community has with the University. It’s about more than just philanthropy, though that is important. “It’s tradition, and pride and spirit,” he said.
The seats are in an upper deck above the first base line — not behind home, but then, all seats at Safeco Field are good seats.
All UW faculty, staff and alumni and their friends are invited, and tickets must be purchased by July 11. If you’re interested in tickets, visit the UW link for the event <a href=http://www.washington.edu/president/lcvi/events/uw-mariners.html>here</a>.
Whether the M’s win or lose, it’ll be a great summer evening at the park.
And even if you’re not a diehard baseball fan, just remember what Yogi Berra, a legend of the game, once said: “You can observe a lot by just watching.”
