Blue Crew Ticket Program
Blue Crew Ticket Program
Summer is about baseball — the crack of the bat, the cheer of the crowd, and the smell of hot dogs. There are some kids, however, who live in the shadow of the ballpark and have never been to a baseball game. Our Blue Crew Ticket program aims to change that! Through this program at-risk youth, children battling chronic illness, kids in foster care, and military families in every major league market across the country receive a “big league” experience. You see, the Blue Crew Ticket program is more than a ticket; it’s a smile when kids need it most, a bonding experience, a memory for families going through hard times.
Each Blue Crew Ticket VIP experience includes great seats to the ballgame, a goody bag of “all things baseball”, and the unique opportunity to step onto the field for a souvenir baseball and photo. The baseball experience is designed to strengthen relationships of at-risk youth and adult caregivers.
The program started when an umpire invited his “little” brother from Big Brothers Big Sisters to a ballgame to meet a big league umpire. To date, MLB umpires have welcomed more than 8,000 guests to games across the country with participation in every Major League market.
In 2019, we successfully added all 30 Triple-A markets to our roster of teams participating in these events. The expansion of the Blue Crew Ticket program to the minor leagues thanks to our partnership with the MiLB umpires.
In 2021, we invited wounded veterans who are training to become umpires and their family members – 86 guests in all – to attend MLB games in 13 ballparks over the Fourth of July holiday. We had the privilege of teaming up with the Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy to make these experiences possible. In some cases, veterans received signed baseballs from umpires, were featured on the scoreboard and one veteran even enjoyed lunch with an umpire! These are the moments we try to create at UMPS CARE Charities.
+ 8,000 participants have enjoyed a Major League Baseball experience
Partner Agencies
BLUE Crew Tickets are available to the following partner agencies:
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA)
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Most Valuable Kids, Inc. (MVK)
Casey Cares Foundation
United Service Organizations (USO)
Bounce Children’s Foundation
HopeKids
Tickets For Kids
Kids Up Front Foundation
Larkin Street Youth Services
The Tomorrow Fund
The Miracle League
Baltimore Urban Baseball Association (BUBA)
Reviving Baseball In Inner Cities (RBI)
Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy (WWUA)