Cardboard to Leather Baseball Equipment Campaign Drives Fans to Donate Every Year

In partnership with the Baltimore Orioles, Legg Mason has been a proud sponsor of Cardboard to Leather (C2L) since 2008 a collection drive for new or gently used sporting equipment for children in Latin American countries. This program was developed by a volunteer group known as the Oriole Advocates who represent the Baltimore Orioles during sponsored events and give-a-way days at Camden Yards.

C2L was inspired by an article featured in The Baltimore Sun newspaper in 1992 written by sportswriter, John Eisenberg. During a trip to the Dominican Republic, Eisenberg observed the children and noticed they were playing baseball with makeshift equipment – tree limbs for bats and cardboard wrapped with tape for gloves. Because of this sighting, he felt compelled to write about it. After reading Eisenberg’s article, the Oriole Advocates decided to spearhead a campaign to collect equipment for the children.

20,000 items of equipment are collected annually by various groups and individuals in the community through little leagues, local recreations, and individual baseball fans. The equipment is then distributed to schools, orphanages, community groups and hospitals in places such as Nicaragua, Venezuela, Hungary, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Belize.

The organization of 30 volunteers contributed over 1,250 hours of service to this program. It has impacted over five thousand children in six countries over the last year.

“We are pleased to have participated in the C2L program for the past seven years. Our employees are always happy to donate sports equipment for young athletes and we applaud the Baltimore Orioles and the Oriole Advocates for this great initiative,” Alan Magleby, Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Legg Mason.

Watch the C2L recap video by MASN.

For more information about Cardboard to Leather, visit http://www.orioleadvocates.org/cardboard-to-leather.html.