Bowie, Md. — The Bowie Baysox will donate 50 percent of the ticket proceeds from their home game on Thursday, July 19, 2018 against the Erie SeaWolves (Class AA Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers) to two funds set up to help and honor the victims and families affected in the Capital Gazette tragedy that occurred on June 28, 2018.
Fifty percent of all ticket sales that occured online at Baysox.com between 9 a.m. on Friday, July 13, and 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18, for the Baysox home game on Thursday, July 19, will be donated to the Capital Gazette Families Fund and the Capital Gazette Memorial Scholarship Fund.
“The Annapolis Capital and its affiliate papers— including the Bowie Blade-News and West County Gazette— have been such important partners to the Baysox since our first game in 1993,” said Baysox General Manager Brian Shallcross. “Over the many years of working together, we have come to know many great people at the Capital Gazette family who have put their heart and soul into their craft. We are saddened at the tragic loss of our good friend John McNamara and colleagues Gerald Fishman, Robert Hiaasen, Wendi Winters and Rebecca Smith.
“The Baysox wanted to provide a forum for our fans to be able to contribute to their memories and celebrate the lives and legacies of those lost in the tragic events of June 28, and we hope that these efforts at our home game on July 19 will bring those in our community together to do just that.”
During the Baysox game on Thursday, July 19, there were tributes to those who perished in the tragedy as well as opportunities for fans to bid on silent auction items throughout the game that will include autographed items from Baysox and Orioles players. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised from the silent auction will benefit the two funds named above.
The Capital Gazette Families Fund is being managed through the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County. The family fund has been established to provide immediate relief and long-term recovery support to those individuals directly and indirectly affected by the tragedy. Grants can be applied to grief and trauma counseling, medical expenses not covered by insurance, funeral expenses, and other associated expenses and services. The Michael and Jacky Ferro Foundation will match up to one million dollars in donations to this fund.
The Capital Gazette Memorial Scholarship Fund has been created to provide an annual award for select students pursuing a degree in Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. The fund celebrates the lives of Gerald Fischman and John McNamara, who were alumni of the University; Robert Hiaasen, a lecturer in Journalism at the University; Wendi Winters, a reporter at the Capital Gazette; and Rebecca Smith, who worked on the Capital Gazette sales team.