Strikes for a Cause: T.J. Ford Celebrity Bowl-a-Thon

We love a good challenge, so we were excited to mount a team for this year’s T.J. Ford Celebrity Bowl-a-Thon, benefitting Houston's Children's Charity, which serves Houston’s under-privileged, abused, and handicapped children.

So on July 10, the Alex Rodriguez team (Garrick Hatfield, Ashley Tobar, Melissa Molina, Eric Garza, and Derrick Sabatier) donned bowling shoes and rubbed elbows with celebrity bowlers such as Marcus Camby of the Portland Trailblazers, Dexter Pittman of the Miami Heat, James Posey of the Indiana Pacers, and Damion James of the New Jersey Nets. We’re pleased to say that the professional athletes inspired us to victory. Congratulations to Tony Gracely’s winning team!

But the night’s real winners were the children in the greater Houston community who rely on the essential services provided by Houston Children’s Charity. We were pleased to support this great non-profit.

The Rose

Aloha, Hollywood: 22nd Annual Rose Shrimp Boil

The Rose is one of Houston’s most valuable non-profits, providing mammography, screening, diagnosis, access to treatment, and support for women with breast cancer regardless of their ability to pay. As part of our ongoing support of The Rose, we were pleased to sponsor the 22nd Annual Rose Shrimp Boil on July 9 at the Pasadena Convention Center.

The sold-out event raised more than $110,000 for the center, thanks in part to incredible silent and live auction items.

On behalf of all of us at Alex Rodriguez, we thank The Rose for the opportunity to support women’s health in the Houston metro area.

Stars & Strikes Celebrity Bowling Challenge

The stars were out on Thursday, June 30, when Alex Rodriguez Mercedes-Benz and ZT Wealth shared the honor of sponsoring the 1st Annual Stars & Strikes Celebrity Bowling Challenge. The challenge raised $16,000 for The Chester Pitts Charitable Foundation, which supports a range of services for children, giving them access to arts education, building their self-confidence, and teaching them how to set and achieve goals.

Professional athletes DeMaco Ryan and Vonta Leach of the Houston Texans, Dunta Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons, Sean Rogers of the New Orleans Saints, Russell Okung of the Seattle Seahawks, Rashard Lewis of the Washington Wizards, and others each tested their skills as captain of a bowling team at 300 Houston Bowling Lounge. They signed autographs and mingled with guests, who enjoyed an awards ceremony and a lot of fun.

Our deepest appreciation to the celebrity bowlers for making this event such a success. If you missed the fun, you can catch the event photos here.

Champagne Wishes & Caviar Dreams

What a privilege it was for Alex Rodriguez to be the presenting sponsor for Champagne Wishes & Caviar Dreams, a fundraising dinner, auction and cruise to benefit The Jeanette Williams Foundation, an organization dedicated to fund research to find a cure for childhood cancer. The revelers sailed April 17, 2011 from South Shore Harbor Resort on The Big White Boat.

Guests began the evening with a champagne send-off before embarking on The Big White Boat for a delicious dinner followed by a silent and live auction. Winning bidders get to enjoy bounty such as New Mexican condo stays, trips to Paris Las Vegas and a week-long stay in the Bahamas.

The real winners of the night are the more than 50 kids being treated for cancer and blood disorders at UTMB-Galveston who will now get an all-expenses-paid escape to the Camp For All in Burton, Texas, a facility geared especially for kids battling life-threatening illnesses.

"In spite of this tough economy, we were able to increase the number of children we’re sending to camp from 30 last year to 50 this year. This is greatly due to the generous sponsorship from Alex Rodriguez. Since our goal was 40, we are extremely excited and grateful to our generous sponsors!" said Jayne Gillis, Secretary/Treasurer, The Jeanette Williams Foundation.

For a video and additional photos of the event, please click here.

For more information about The Jeannette Williams Foundation, future events, or to donate or sponsor a child, please visit
child-cancer-research.org.

Congratulations to the three lucky winners of our Facebook giveaway! We hope you had a memorable time.

Go Red for Women

For the sixth consecutive year, Alex Rodriguez proudly supported the Go Red for Women effort by sponsoring the Bay Area Go Red for Women Luncheon on February 25th, 2011 at the South Shore Harbour Resort.

Dedicated to helping women raise awareness, and reduce risk, of heart disease and stroke, the luncheon featured author and international speaker, Linda Larsen, incredible stories of courage from women who have survived heart disease, and information from experts about the No. 1 killer of women. Additional highlights included a Heart Throb Preview and "Purse-onality" Auction.

For more information about the Bay Area Go Red Luncheon, or to donate, please visit www.heart.org/bayareatxgoredluncheon or www.goredforwomen.org for additional information.

For more photos by Sandy Adams Photography, please click here.

AROD Sales Team "Bear" Their Heart

Alex Rodriguez would like to applaud our big-hearted sales
team for their dedication to living by our philosophy: Playing
with Heart

Hoping to bring a little sunshine into the lives of pediatric patients
at the Texas Children's Hospital, Derrick Sabatier, Eric Valentino,
Juhree Barnett and Karena Kane arrived at the Hospital on May 11th, bringing 250 lovable teddy bears to hand out to children across five
hospital floors.

It was an incredibly touching experience, as children's eyes lit up in delight when they saw the bears and picked out their favorite one to keep. "It was extremely emotional, but seeing the children smile, made it all worth it!" said Karena Kane.

For more ways to support Texas Children's Hospital's commitment to providing the finest pediatric patient care, education and research, please click here.

Alex Rodriguez. Playing with Heart.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston

Alex Rodriguez Mercedes-Benz supports Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston by periodically donating a percentage of sales to the organization and though other volunteer efforts. As national spokesperson for Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Alex Rodriguez champions Campaign 3 P.M., the Boys and Girls Clubs’ initiative to enroll every child in America in an after-school program. This landmark campaign is one of the Boys and Girls Clubs’ most aggressive efforts, and is the first time in its history a bilingual approach has been taken.

Visit www.bgclubs-houston.org for more information.