MANKATO, Minn. –The Mankato MoonDogs Baseball Club, a member of the Northwoods League, along with Minnesota Valley Federal Credit Union and ACES continue to reach out to the Mankato community with their educational program, MoonDogs Fit.
MoonDogs Fit is in its second year and is sponsored by the MoonDogs and Minnesota Valley Federal Credit Union. MoonDogs Fit promotes healthy living and eating at the ACES sites this summer. Last summer, the program allowed for over 60 player appearances where they were able to put down their baseball gloves for a couple hours and put on a teaching cap. They will spend the next month, a total of four sessions, at five of the ACES sites teaching students about making healthy choices through active lesson plans.
“We’re excited to continue this very successful partnership with Minnesota Valley Federal Credit Union and the ACES program. As three different organizations that have a vested interest and strong ties to the Mankato community it’s fantastic that we’re all able to come together and have a positive impact on kids in the Mankato community” said MoonDogs General Manager, Greg Weis
For ACES this has been the first of its kind program. Being able to create a bond between the MoonDogs players and the students through activities provided on-site are a huge benefit.
“The MoonDogs Fit program has been very well received by the youth in the ACES program. It has been new and exciting for the children, and the players have been great role models for them,” said ACES Program Coordinator Andrea Greenwald.
The mission of the MoonDogs Fit program is to utilize MoonDogs players off the field to teach overall fitness as a positive impact to our youth. Through community involvement, MoonDogs Fit is there to motivate regular physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices.
The MoonDogs appearances to the ACES sites for MoonDogs Fit are made possible through the partnership with Minnesota Valley Federal Credit Union.
“The lessons taught in MoonDogs FIT help enrich the lives of the children in our community. Mankato based Minnesota Valley Federal Credit Union is excited to partner with the Mankato MoonDogs & ACES Programs for the second year in a row to provide this wonderful program. FIT is an example of businesses working together cooperatively to make a lasting positive impact, in this case, on the lives of the children in our community,” said MVFCU CEO Nick Meyer.
The month long session will conclude on July 30th. MVFCU will provide a t-shirt and a ticket to the MoonDogs July 31st game to each ACES kid as part of the Fit wrap-up event. On July 31st, the MoonDogs take on the Duluth Huskies at 7:05 p.m.
Minnesota Valley Federal Credit Union is a financial coop that offers banking services with lower loan rates, higher savings rates and low or no fees because they’re member owned. They have been serving the Greater Mankato Area for 80 years and was voted the best place to bank in Mankato in the 2013 Mankato Free Press Readers Choice Awards. MVFCU has two Mankato offices and serves over 11,000 members with assets over $100 million. MVFCU is part of the Shared Branching Network which gives members access to their accounts at over 5,050 locations throughout all 50 states. Membership is available to anyone living, working or attending school in Nicollet, Blue Earth & Le Sueur County.
ACES is a school age child care program provided by the Mankato Area Public Schools Community Education & Recreation Department. ACES offers before and after school care as well as full and half day care on non-school days for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. The ACES summer program offers care for children going into kindergarten through 7th grade.
Single-game and discounted season ticket seats are available to all remaining Mankato home games, on sale at the MoonDogs office located at 1221 Caledonia Street in Mankato, as well as over the phone at 507-625-7047. To stay up to date, Like the MoonDogs on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter (@MoonDogsBall), or visit the website at www.mankatomoondogs.com.
The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.mankatomoondogs.com.
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