On Monday, May 8th, members of the Dallas Cowboys stepped up to the plate (literally and figuratively) for the sixth annual Reliant Home Run Derby, which raised $50,000 for the Gene and Jerry Jones Family North Texas Youth Education Town of The Salvation Army Arlington.
The Reliant Home Run Derby has raised more than $400,000 for different charities and nonprofits over the course of six years. This was the first year that the annual competition was open to the public. Nearly 3,000 fans filled Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, to support “America’s Team” and The Salvation Army.
I watched the event with a newfound appreciation for all the players, because only a couple hours prior, I was in their shoes/baseball cleats. Reliant invited me to participate in the annual Media League Home Run Derby where we followed the same rules and structure as the main event to raise money for local charities: Metrocrest Services, Operation Kindness, The Bridge North Texas, and Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. Although my 3 out of 10 hits (which sadly was better than I thought I’d do) contributed only $300, as a team we raised $20,000! Teamwork makes the dream work!
After recovering from my exciting turn at bat, I headed back down to the field for the main event. Participating Dallas Cowboys players included Jason Witten, Sean Lee, Byron Jones, Zack Martin, Jeff Heath, Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, Terrance Williams, Dez Bryant, Orlando Scandrick, Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick.
Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett won the title of 2017 Reliant Home Run Derby Champion with 7 home runs and a total of $4,900 raised for the charity. Jason Witten was a close second with 6 home runs and $4,800.
The Reliant Home Run Derby was exhilarating to watch, and the team’s commitment to charity was inspiring to witness. I’m not a sports fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I would eagerly participate in this event each year.
Congratulations to the Dallas Cowboys for “knocking it out of the park” with their charitable swings, and thank you to Reliant for their commitment to our community and inviting me to be a part of this incredible event!