South County Giants fans will be seeing double when the 2010 and 2012 World Championship trophies, crafted by Tiffany & Co., will be on display from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16 inside the MACSA gymnasium at 277 IOOF Ave. in Gilroy, and from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Catherine’s Church, located at 17400 Peak Ave. in Morgan Hill.
There will also be a public viewing that same day from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the PAL building, located at 85 Maryal Drive in Salinas.
The event is part of the three-month public tour presented by Bank of America, and is aimed at sharing Major League Baseball’s Commissioner’s trophies with Giants fans in Junior Giants communities throughout northern California.
Junior Giants is the flagship program of the Giants Community Fund, which serves more than 20,000 boys and girls in 80 under-served communities throughout northern and central California and southern Oregon (including Gilroy and Morgan Hill).
It is a free and non-competitive baseball program that has served as a model for Major League Baseball youth initiatives, according to a Giants press release. Using baseball as the hook, Junior Giants provides opportunities for children to demonstrate confidence and leadership, to link with adult mentors and to develop a strong understanding of the importance of literacy and healthy living. Locally, the Junior Giants has been running in Gilroy since 1987 and serves nearly 300 participants annually that would not normally have the opportunity or means to play baseball.
In order to get the trophy tour to stop in Gilroy, Christina Soto, manager of Child and Family Services for the local Mexican American Community Services Agency known as MACSA, had to fill out an application and petition for Gilroy to be selected.
“It was really important to our organization to create a trophy tour which allowed us to connect with our fans and the more than 20,000 kids who participate in our Junior Giants baseball program,” stated Larry Baer, Giants president and chief operating officer.
Fans can view the trophies in person on a first-come, first-served basis. The viewings are free to the public with a suggested donation of $2 per person to the Gilroy Junior Giants League. Bank of America will match contributions to the Junior Giants program, up to $10,000.
