08/02/2006 12:02 PM - Kansas City, KS—The Kansas City T-Bones announce a fundraising drive to help the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum kick off their campaign for the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center.

The T-Bones will be collecting donations at their remaining 16 home games this regular season. The first $50,000 generated by T-Bones fans will be matched by the T-Bones and owner John Ehlert with an additional $25,000, adding a full 50 percent bonus to fans’ support.

Fans may click here to donate.

“The Negro Leagues were the original independent baseball, and Buck truly stands as the patriarch of independent baseball,” said Ehlert. “We are honored to help our fans contribute what will be just a fraction of what Buck has given back to our community. The Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center will celebrate what its namesake has done in sharing all that the Negro Leagues have done for American culture and education—it’s not just about baseball.”

All donations will go to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s “Thanks a Million, Buck” fundraising effort. The NLBM’s campaign will officially begin later this week, with the goal of raising one million dollars, to be presented on Buck’s 95th birthday, which will be celebrated on November 11th. This will then kick off the $15 million renovation of the old Paseo YMCA, to become the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center. The site, adjacent to the Museum, is registered as a National Historic Landmark, and was the official birthplace of the Negro Leagues, in 1920.

“The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is proud of its partnership with the Kansas City T-Bones and is thrilled that the club is leading the effort and urging its fan base to help us build the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center and ensure that Buck’s legacy will stand the test of time,” said Bob Kendrick, the museum’s director of marketing.

The “T-Bones Bucks for Buck” campaign will begin with this week’s seven-game homestand and continue through the 2006 season at beautiful CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Fans can also contribute through the T-Bones’ secure website, www.tbonesbaseball.com. Special thanks also to AT & T, who is helping distribute the message to hundreds of thousands of its customers in the Kansas City area.

For T-Bones tickets or more information, call: 913/328-BALL (2255).