LINDENWOLD, N.J. -- On Tuesday, May 18, Major League baseball players Ben Francisco, Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino are scheduled to join local high school students from the Philadelphia Action Team® youth volunteer program and volunteers from The Home Depot to build a gazebo, picnic and recreation area for seniors living at Volunteers of America’s Lindenwold Towers.

When: Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
**Ballplayers scheduled to be on site from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.**

Where: Volunteers of America’s Lindenwold Towers senior residences
611 Emerson St., Lindenwold, NJ 08021

Who: Ben Francisco, Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies, high school student leaders from the Philadelphia Action Team, volunteers from The Home Depot and representatives from Volunteers of America Delaware Valley

Benefiting: Low-income local seniors living at Lindenwold Towers

Administered by Volunteers of America and the Major League Baseball Players Trust, the Action Team program encourages young people throughout the United States to volunteer in their communities. Action Teams, consisting of Major League baseball players and student team captains from more than 145 high schools in 30 states and Puerto Rico, are working together to encourage young people to get involved in their communities by volunteering. To date, Action Teams across the country have inspired more than 25,000 high school students to help over 100,000 people in need by volunteering in their communities.

Major League Baseball Players Trust
The Major League Baseball Players Trust partnered with Volunteers of America in 2002 to promote the nurturing and well-being of America’s children and their families. The partnership features the personal involvement of Major League baseball players and their families with a variety of programs conducted by Volunteers of America throughout the United States. Also, together they administer the Action Team, a national youth volunteer program currently inspiring the next generation of volunteers across the United States, including Puerto Rico and Hawaii. For more information about the Major League Baseball Players Trust, visit www.MLBPLAYERS.com and visit the Players Trust Channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/mlbplayerstrust. For more information on the Action Team please send an e-mail request to ActionTeam@mlbpa.org.

Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and healthcare, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over 400 communities. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including seniors, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, and those recovering from addictions. Our work touches the mind, body, heart-and ultimately the spirit-of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services. For more information about Volunteers of America, visit www.VolunteersofAmerica.org

Volunteers of America Delaware Valley
Volunteers of America Delaware Valley operates 43 separate programs serving persons who are experiencing homelessness, seeking permanent housing, struggling with addictive behavior, coping with chronic mental illness and developmental disabilities, returning to society from the criminal justice, and dealing with domestic violence. For more information, call Volunteers of America at (856) 854-4660 or visit www.voadv.org.

Media contacts:
James Wynn, Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, (856) 854-4660 x128, jwynn@voadv.org
Greg Bouris, Major League Baseball Players Association, (212) 826-0808 or gbouris@mlbpa.org