Community

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Bulls in the Community

The Durham Bulls are committed to strengthening the community by working with local groups to create positive change in the Triangle.

Click below for more information on the Bulls two priority projects.

In addition to our priority projects, the Bulls have taken leadership roles in the following projects during the past year. Click on a topic below to learn more.

Tsunami Relief

The Durham Bulls, in conjunction with Fox 50/WRAZ-TV, Mix 101.5 FM and The Herald-Sun announced the Tsunami relief effort at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park raised $3,978 to be donated to the American Red Cross International Response for Tsunami Disaster Relief. From 9:00 AM this morning until 5:00 PM, the Bulls sold 612 individual game tickets for the 2005 baseball season with all proceeds going to the relief effort.

“It was an incredible day,” Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling said, “As expected the hearts of the people in the Triangle continue to be with the survivors of this horrible disaster.”

In December, a tidal wave created by the largest earthquake in four decades ripped apart the lives of millions of people and families living along the coasts of the Indian Ocean. Aid continues to pour into the affected region bringing lifesaving relief supplies and resources to tsunami victims who lost their families, homes and livelihoods.

Light Up Durham

The Durham Bulls are proud to support Light Up Durham and the annual holiday parade held each December in downtown Durham. In 2004, the relationship expanded as the Durham Bulls Athletic Park hosted the city’s annual Independence Day Fireworks show on July 4th. Over 9,000 people piled into the stadium for an unforgettable evening that included a pre-show concert, a fitness session from Duke University Health System and a special message from United States troops in combat overseas.

For the first time in 2004, the annual holiday parade began at the corner of Blackwell St. and Jackie Robinson Way, outside the main gates to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the newly renovated American Tobacco Complex. The Bulls hosted the VIP reception on their third base party deck providing Light Up Durham’s supporters an elevated view of the parade and festivities.

Light Up Durham’s mission is to provide safe, artistically rich, and inclusive celebrations for the entire community to enjoy. Their various events give performance opportunities to area youth and local artists, provide educational opportunities throughout the year (K-12) and provide college scholarship support to deserving students. This year the nine-year old organization was selected as one of the Southeast’s TOP 20 Events according to the Southeast Tourism Society.

Field of Screams

Some spooky new tenants moved into the Durham Bulls Athletic Park during October as the Durham Jaycees and a cadre of witches, ghosts and goblins built a haunted house to raise money for local charities.

More than 3000 people enjoyed the Haunted House raising almost $13,000 in proceeds. Jaycees used this money to honor 30 local charities with a Holiday Banquet and grant to assist in their efforts of making Durham a great community.

“The haunted house is an outstanding event. It’s a lot of fun for the people who come through and for the Jaycees who work to make it happen,” says Sara Brown, president of the Durham Jaycees. “We are honored to provide an opportunity for safe fun and to help local charities.”

The Durham Jaycees’ Haunted House is an annual event in Durham that has been entertaining and frightening people of all ages for 32 years. The Jaycees is an organization of young professionals between the ages of 21 and 40 dedicated to leadership development through community service in Durham since 1938. Locally, the group organizes various fundraising events to support the community with its largest event being the annual Durham Jaycees Haunted House.

ALS

The Bulls continued to be a major supporter of the Jim “Catfish” Hunter-Carolinas Chapter of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association. ALS, known as “Lou Gehrig's disease”, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The Bulls sponsored the annual Field of Dreams Gala and exhibited the World’s Largest Triple-A Jersey at a ballgame. New in 2004, the Bulls partnered with the Continental Crusade to stage a jersey auction recognizing the rich history of minor league baseball in Raleigh and Durham.

On Saturday, June 5th, the Bulls went retro as the team sported replica jerseys of the Raleigh-Durham Phillies, the Triangle’s minor league team in 1969 that featured two prominent major league players (Bob Boone and Greg Luzinski) and won the Carolina League Championship. Fans bid on the jerseys throughout the game with all proceeds benefiting the Continental Crusade, a cross-country cycling event designed to raise awareness and funding that will be donated for aid in research and to comfort families stricken with ALS. Founder and Executive Director Jason Oberholtzer made the journey from Wilmington, NC to Los Angeles, CA in 53 days.

Bring a Kid to a Game

This season, the Bulls gave area businesses a chance to give back to the community by purchasing tickets for underprivileged youth in the Triangle Area. Groups from the John Avery Boys and Girls Club, the Boys and Girls Club of Raleigh, Arc of Wake County, Urban Ministries, Durham Police Department enjoyed a game compliments of local businesses such as Bayer CropScience and Utility Employees Credit Union.

Wool E. Bull's Toy Drive

Fans joined in the celebration of Wool E. Bull’s Birthday with free tickets to his party at the Bulls game against the Buffalo Bisons on Sunday, July 11th, if they donated a toy to Duke Children’s Hospital. Over the past four seasons Wool E. Bull’s toy drive has collected over 700 new toys for the children.

Negro League Night

One of the best-attended games of each season is the Bulls’ annual celebration of the Negro Leagues. During the middle of the 20th century, the Triangle was host to several barnstorming teams including the Durham Rams, Eagles and Black Sox.

The day kicked off with children from the Raleigh-Wake, Durham and Burlington-Graham chapters of Jack & Jill of America, Inc. getting a visit with 30 former Negro League era players. The gates to the ballpark opened early for a special presentation of Only the Ball was White, a 30-minute documentary on the history of the black baseball leagues featuring rare interviews with Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella and other stars of the Negro Leagues. After the film, all of the attending Negro League players were introduced on the field in a pre-game ceremony. On the field the Bulls and visiting Charlotte Knights dawned authentic replica jerseys from the Negro Major Leagues.

Friends of Seniors Food Drive

Mix 101.5 WRAL-FM and the Durham Bulls send out a big thank you to everyone who participated in the 4th Annual Holiday Food Drive benefiting the Friends of Triangle Seniors and Food Assistance. Fans that brought in ten cans of food to the Ballpark Corner Store received 30% off all apparel and most collectible items.

The mission of Friends of Triangle Seniors is to help senior citizens in the Triangle (Orange, Durham, and Wake Counties in North Carolina) with a variety of tasks they are physically unable, or need assistance, to perform. The Triangle Food Assistance Program distributes perishable, surplus food on a daily basis to service organizations and people in need.

Prevent Child Abuse NC

Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina reveled in a great evening of baseball while raising money for the organization. The Night Out with the Bulls event generated over $2,300 for the only statewide organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. The funds helped provided community awareness and education, training to professionals across the state and advocacy for issues affecting families and children.

Valentine’s Day “Show Some Heart”

Baseball is typically associated with Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day, but the Bulls made a heartfelt connection with Valentine’s Day in 2004. In cooperation with The Herald-Sun, Mix 101.5 FM, Fox 50 and Baseball America, the Bulls sold Wool E. Bull Valentine's Day cards complete with two tickets to Opening Day and the 2004 Baseball America Great Parks Calendar. The package sold for only $12, with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association of North Carolina.

Hospital Tours

For a third year Bulls players and front office staff spent time visiting children at the North Carolina Childrens’ Hospital and Duke Childrens’ Hospital.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters Night at the Ballaprk

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Durham and Orange Counties held their annual awards presentation at a Durham Bulls Game this season.