Letter writing opportunity to support Operation Gratitude available during the holiday tournament

NEWS RELEASE

Youth baseball teams will celebrate this holiday weekend by playing in Historic Dodgertown’s Independence Day Tournament. The teams, from as far as Indiana, Georgia and throughout Florida, represent players from 12U to 18U.

Historic Dodgertown is also pleased to support Operation Gratitude and offer participants and guests a letter writing opportunity during the tournament, which will be delivered to troops serving our country. 

Tables will be set up between Fields 1 and 2 (on Vin Scully Way) with paper, pens and colored markers so players, families and guests can take a moment to thank active servicemen and women. Following the tournament, Historic Dodgertown will send all the letters to Operation Gratitude for their dissemination. Participants can know their words will encourage someone abroad.

Historic Dodgertown is forever tied to the U.S. Military. The facility opened in 1948 on the site of a former Naval Air Base. From 1948 to 1972 Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers stayed in the former Naval barracks. Players who stayed in the original housing famously and fondly remembered the “good old days” of the barracks. The new hotel villa rooms were dedicated in 1972, and the adjacent Conference Center in 1974.

Operation Gratitude annually sends 200,000+ care packages filled with food, entertainment, hygiene, and handmade items, plus personal letters of appreciation to veterans, first responders, new recruits, wounded heroes, their care givers, and to individually named U.S. service members deployed overseas and their families waiting at home. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 1,600,000 care packages. 

From 1948-2008, Historic Dodgertown was the Spring Training home of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Today, the same fields and facilities used by the teams are the same as trained and played on by Hall of Famers from Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Sandy Koufax, to managers Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda, and to recent inductees Pedro Martinez and Mike Piazza, both of whom started their careers right here at Dodgertown in Vero Beach. Overall, more than 140 Hall of Famers have played or visited Historic Dodgertown since its opening.

In addition to fields to accommodate baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, rugby and fitness training, Historic Dodgertown also boasts a conference center for meetings, events and retreats, hotel villa rooms, and impressive recreational amenities — competition-size swimming pool and deck to accommodate up to 500 guests, lighted tennis and basketball courts, a sand volleyball court, major league designed fitness rooms and paths for walking and jogging.

Historic Dodgertown is located at 3901 26^th Street in Vero Beach. Admission to watch the games this weekend is $5 per person, per day, and anyone can join in the efforts to support Operation Gratitude. The schedule of games is located here, under 2017 Game Schedule and Results.

To learn more about Historic Dodgertown please visit www.HistoricDodgertown.com.

To learn more about Operation Gratitude, please visit www.OperationGratitude.com.