STRIPES (Sports Teams Returning In The Public Education System)
Encyclopedia
The STRIPES program is a community project supported by the Memphis Redbirds
and the Memphis Redbirds Foundation
. First started in 1998, the STRIPES program provides support for softball and baseball in Memphis City Schools at the middle school and junior high level - sports that were not available at those levels before the program's start-up.
replaced the middle and junior high school baseball and softball budget in 1998. For the first time in six years, city school children were afforded the opportunity to put on a baseball uniform, take the field and play ball. The foundation has continued to fund these programs, and now more than 1,100 children from almost 40 schools participate in STRIPES each year.
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...
and the Memphis Redbirds Foundation
Memphis Redbirds Foundation
The non-profit Memphis Redbirds Foundation is the first 501 charitable organization in the United States to own a professional baseball franchise and its playing facility, AutoZone Park...
. First started in 1998, the STRIPES program provides support for softball and baseball in Memphis City Schools at the middle school and junior high level - sports that were not available at those levels before the program's start-up.
How did STRIPES begin?
STRIPES began in 1992 after the school system's budget for baseball and softball at the middle and junior high levels was cut. Through the STRIPES program, the Memphis Redbirds FoundationMemphis Redbirds Foundation
The non-profit Memphis Redbirds Foundation is the first 501 charitable organization in the United States to own a professional baseball franchise and its playing facility, AutoZone Park...
replaced the middle and junior high school baseball and softball budget in 1998. For the first time in six years, city school children were afforded the opportunity to put on a baseball uniform, take the field and play ball. The foundation has continued to fund these programs, and now more than 1,100 children from almost 40 schools participate in STRIPES each year.