As highly visible members of the community, the Blues' players, coaches and staff acknowledge their unique public role and are devoted to working with charities, schools, civic groups and other out reach sources to make positive contributions throughout the area. The Blues welcome the opportunity to give back to the community that has steadfastly supported the team for more than 14 years.

The history of the Plum City Blues is rich with on the field accomplishments and a special bond with the community that has supported the organization throughout its 14 years. As the legend of the Plum City Blues has grown through time, so has the Blues' responsibility to the community.

Non-profit organizations throughout Western Wisconsin look to the Plum City Blues for both tangible and intangible assistance for their beneficiaries - help that comes in the form of money, food, clothing, autographs, or simply from smiles brought about by the visit of a youngster's sports hero. The Plum City Blues organization and its players willingly accept this responsibility; two full-time employees spend every working day organizing charitable involvement that comes to fruition through the commitment of the players.

The community involvement takes many forms. The Blues sponsor special fund raising events, make donations of cash and memorabilia to many charitable organizations, make personal appearances and serve on various community boards and commissions.

MAKE-A-WISH
In 2001, a dozen youngsters had their dreams answered by the Plum City Blues through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For more than 20 years, Make-A-Wish has been granting the wishes of ill children. For some kids, the wish is to visit Disneyland or meet a celebrity; others wish to see Plum City Legion Park and meet members of the Plum City Blues - wishes that the Blues organization works diligently to fulfill. Several youngsters spent time with the players and coaches at training camp in 2001, even joining the team for meals at Plum City's Pond View. Others met with players and coaches after attending a game at Plum City Legion Park.

CHUNKY SOUP WEIGH-IN
It's not often you see a St Croix Valley League player sitting on a "soupspoon" scale in the middle of a parking lot. But that's exactly what Blues infielders Sam Ingli and Branden Kadlec did in August last year as part of the nationwide Tackling Hunger 2002 program. Ingli weighed in at 260 cans of Campbell's Chunky Soup, while Kadlec tipped the scales at 275 cans. Campbell's also allowed attending media to climb on the scale on behalf of the program. The end result of the Plum City stop was a donation of 9,794 cans of soup to the Union Township food shelf.

In addition, the program encouraged fans to go to the Campbell's Soup web site and click on the logo of their favorite team. As a result of the clicks on the Blues logo, nearly 900,000 cans of food were given to food banks, including Union Township food shelf in Plum City. The Blues ranked 1st on the team list, with Blues fans clicking helping to donate over 400,000 cans more than the second-place Ellsworth Hubbers.

PLAYER APPEARANCES
The close bond between the Plum City Blues and the community is never more apparent than when the players volunteer their time at schools, hospitals, fund raisers and other community programs. Players made more than 35 special appearances in 2002, including visits to the following events and charities...

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
Through the years, the Plum City Blues have been very visible at the Boys & Girls Club, as players have volunteered their time to visit with the youngsters at many local sites. The Boys & Girls Club also receives the proceeds from the annual St Croix Valley League Alumni Dinner and in 2001 was the recipient of a $25,000 donation on behalf of the Blues, the SCVL and the United Way.

HOT LUNCH AND MORE
Imagine going through the lunch line at school and instead of the usual lunchroom helpers, the food is served by Plum City Blues players and coaches. That's not a dream for students at St John's Catholic school; it's become an annual event.

Blues pitcher Tony Garner was joined by teammates Zach and Lance Watkins, Aaron Peterson, Shaun Miley, and Travis Unser as well as GM/Manager Scott Watkins.

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
The Blues have supported the young baseball players in the community through appearances at practices and games. The Blues also have made donations to the Plum City Little League Association to support youth baseball in our community.

D.A.R.E.
The Plum City Blues have supported the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program through donations of autographed merchandise and personal appearances. Players routinely speak about resisting peer pressure and drug use, and how doing so allowed them to realize their dreams.

PLAYERS' FOUNDATIONS
Many veteran players have taken their acts of giving to a higher level by creating their own foundations, which have an impact on hundreds of lives each year in Western Wisconsin and the players' home towns. Infielder Troy Ingli started the Troy Ingli Forward Foundation in 1998 and since, in conjunction with his annual golf tournament, has given more than $25,000 to several charities in the Mississippi River Valley and Western Wisconsin, including the Give-A-Kid-A-Book campaign, the Salvation Army and Special Olympics.

Gordy Luebker, Blaine Kadlec, John Biederman, Chris and Wayne Radle, Josh Ingli, and Josh Bauer, are among the other current and former players who have created charitable foundations to support community endeavors.

BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS
Big Brothers/Big Sisters once again received a cash donation from the Blues in 2001. The Blues also have supported the mentorship organization through autographed donations, providing a speaker for the organization's annual banquet and sponsoring a hole in their annual golf tournament.

Just a few of the many things the Blues are doing to support the needs of our community.