TheRBI program is the Memphis Redbirds

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...

' implementation of RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities), a program sponsored by Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 in an attempt to renew interest in baseball in inner-city neighborhoods. The Memphis RBI program helps inner-city children, gives them safe summer activity uniforms, equipment, daily lunches and Redbirds games. All these things and more are provided during the seven-week-long summer RBI program funded by 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...

. This program gives children living in troubled neighborhoods a fun and safe activity during the summer months. Since the program's inception in 1998, the number of children involved has grown to approximately 1,100, and there are now sites in virtually every corner of the Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

area. Currently, there are 14 RBI sites in:

• North: Frayser and Douglass
• South: Whitehaven and Corry
• East: East and Sheffield
• West: West Memphis I and West Memphis II

Each RBI participant enjoys the benefits of playing organized baseball or softball in a positive environment. However, this program has accomplished much more than just giving children a chance to play ball - it has assisted children in disadvantaged areas by teaching them how to help themselves through goal-setting, self-respect, discipline, teamwork and community pride. The program gives children a positive alternative to the dangers of drugs, gangs and violence that surround them.