Faces Without Places raffling off two All Star Game tix to support its kids programs

If you haven’t yet snagged a ticket strip for the 2015 All Star Game festivities, your odds of finding one for less than $500 at this point are few and far between.
 
Faces Without Places, a nonprofit whose mission is “to empower lives by removing educational barriers and provide enrichment opportunities for children and youth experiencing homelessness,” is giving you a chance at tickets for just $20. 
 
Thanks to a donation from John Burns, local businessman and former president of Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions, Faces Without Places is raffling off a pair of Diamond Seats — just behind home plate — for the July 10-14 events.
 
The tickets are valued at $2,500 apiece and include food along with access to all All Star Game activities, including the game itself, the SiriusXM All Star Futures Game, the All Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game and the Gatorade All Star Workout Day, which features the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders.
 
“This donation will enable Faces Without Places to continue on our trajectory of expansion,” says Mike Moroski, the nonprofit’s executive director. “We have some new things in store that will enable us to broaden our impact by keeping children experiencing homelessness connected to their education.”
 
Some of the ways the organization has done that thus far are through its annual Yellow Bus Summer Camp (YBSC) and ZooMates, a year-long mentoring program that pairs children from St. Francis de Sales School with students from Xavier University.
 
According to Moroski, 95 percent of children at last summer's YBSC increased or retained their math and/or reading skills, and a large majority of the children involved with ZooMates (87%) planned on attending college after participating in the program.
 
“We have raised a little over $16,000 thus far, and our goal is to reach $20,000 by July 10,” Moroski says. “Mr. Burns' donation of these tickets will help us to expand and grow more comfortably, and we could not be more grateful for his generosity.”

Do Good: 

• Support Faces Without Places by purchasing raffle tickets for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the 2015 All Star Game and related festivities. Entries will be accepted through July 10 at 5:15 p.m., with the drawing to follow at 5:30. Winners will be contacted immediately.

• Attend a free event at the Contemporary Arts Center July 30 at 6 p.m. to introduce Faces Without Places' rebranding campaign and announce what's in store for the future.

• Get involved with Faces Without Places by donating, volunteering or attending/hosting an event.