National Go to Bat program will provide weekly donation to charities

Forty charities are asking supporters to step up to the plate for their cause to gain weekly donations during the second half of the Major League Baseball season.

The Go to Bat Charitable Giving Program, led by State Farm, will donate $18,000 each week to the charity whose followers perform the best in an online batting game.

Once a week for 10 weeks, the donations will be awarded to the charity with the best batting average, which is determined by its supporters.

At the end of the Go to Bat program, State Farm will also announce the charity with the highest overall average and award a $25,000 donation to the organization.

In addition to the donations, a follower of the winning charity each week will be randomly selected to win a trip for two to games 3 and 4 of the 2011 World Series. There will be 10 winners during the program.

Some of the participating charities include the Boys and Girls Club of America, Unicef, the National Fallen Firefighter Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, Autism Speaks and the American Lung Association.

The Virginia regional executive director for the American Lung Association Dennis Alexander said, “The Go to Bat program is an interactive way for our supporters to step up to the plate and engage in our mission. Each home run will take us one stride closer to the fight for healthy air.”

In order to participate, people must choose the charity they are going to represent and register an email address with mlb.com.

For more information or to participate in the program, visit www.statefarm.com/gotobat.