Boys & Girls Clubs and the Home Run Derby®

At this year's State Farm® Home Run Derby® on July 14, baseball's best sluggers stepped up to the plate to help give nearly 5 million kids a safe place to play. For every "Gold Ball" home run hit during the competition, State Farm and Major League Baseball teamed up to donate $17,000 ($1 for every State Farm agent across the US and Canada) to Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The 10 Gold-Ball homers hit at the 2008 Derby added up to $170,000 for the charity.

Each Major Leaguer in the competition also partnered with a teen from a New York area Boys & Girls Club in the hopes of becoming Derby champion and winning $50,000 for his partner's Teen Center. This year's Derby champion, Justin Morneau, won the prize for Tiffany Alvarez's Variety Boys & Girls Club in Astoria, Queens. The other Boys & Girls Club teens received $10,000 each toward a Teen Center for their clubs.

"And while Justin's the winner here, obviously the real winners are the Boys & Girls Club"

Josh Hamilton seemed destined to become the 2008 Derby champion after hitting 28 homers in the first round, but Justin Morneau came back in the finals and edged out Hamilton 5-3. After the Derby, State Farm donated an additional $80,000 to the charity "on behalf of Hamilton's performance."

"And while Justin's the winner here, obviously the real winners are the Boys & Girls Club," State Farm's Mark Gibson said.

This year's State Farm Home Run Derby Gold ball Program raised $370,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. But more than that, raising the hopes of kids across the country.