Columbia Utilities Partners With the Brooklyn Cyclones to Raise Awareness for the American Childhood Cancer Organization

BROOKLYN, NY--(Marketwired - July 21, 2014) - Columbia Utilities, a family owned and operated energy supply company, announced today that it is partnering with the Brooklyn Cyclones on Saturday, July 26^th, to raise awareness for the American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO), the largest national grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and adolescents with cancer and their families.

Columbia Utilities is sponsoring a night of baseball and games, called "Strike Out Childhood Cancer with Columbia Utilities: Brooklyn Cyclones Bat for ACCO," which features an evening of activities to benefit ACCO's ongoing advocacy work, production of informational materials about childhood cancers, and direct services through 40 affiliate organizations across the country.

"We have been looking for ways to expand our partnership with ACCO, and as a Brooklyn native, partnering with a family-friendly organization like the Brooklyn Cyclones to get the word out about ACCO's work and mission seemed like a natural fit," said Robert Palmese, President of Columbia Utilities. "We believe in supporting the communities we serve and invite everyone to come out to the ballpark on July 26 to root for the Brooklyn Cyclones and raise awareness for ACCO's great work supporting children with cancer."

"We pride ourselves on being more than a baseball team," said Cyclones Vice President Steve Cohen. "We strive to be leaders in the Brooklyn community. That means working with organizations like Columbia Utilities and ACCO to help raise their profile while also raising money for a great cause like the fight against childhood cancer." 

During "Strike Out Childhood Cancer with Columbia Utilities: Brooklyn Cyclones Bat for ACCO," the Brooklyn Cyclones will play against the Vermont Lake Monsters at Coney Island's MCU Park at 6:00 pm. As part of the festivities, a child who has received support from ACCO will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Fans will have an opportunity to contribute to ACCO by participating in popular family games such as the "Launch-a-Ball" competition and the 50/50 raffle, proceeds of both benefitting ACCO. Additionally, for each Brooklyn Cyclones home run, Columbia Utilities will donate $500 to ACCO.

"We are incredibly grateful for the outstanding commitment and astonishing fundraising efforts of Columbia Utilities and their customers. There are often limits to how we can contribute individually, but when companies like Columbia Utilities come together with their local communities, there are no limitations to what can be achieved," said Ruth Hoffman, Executive Director of the American Childhood Cancer Organization. "There is nothing more powerful and helpful than raising awareness for our work helping families impacted by childhood cancers, and this joint effort with Columbia Utilities and the Brooklyn Cyclones will surely offer impacted children and parents more hope."

Columbia Utilities' partnership with the Brooklyn Cyclones and ACCO is part of the ongoing "Columbia Cares" initiative, a larger effort to give back to the communities in which Columbia operates and allow customers to make an impact on the lives of others by simply paying their energy bill. Launched in 2013, "Columbia Cares" allows new customers who enroll in the program to donate $1 every month to ACCO for each gas and/or electric account, with no limit to how much can be donated.

For more information about Columbia Cares, please visit https://www.columbiautilities.com/columbia-cares/.

About Columbia Utilities
Columbia Utilities is a family owned and operated energy supply company (ESCO) that supplies electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil in New York. Our family has been in the energy business for over 75 years, and we dedicate ourselves to providing quality service, customer satisfaction, dependable energy, and competitive prices. For more information, please visit www.columbiautilities.com.

About ACCO
The American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) is one of the largest national organizations dedicated to improving the lives of children and adolescents with cancer and their families. ACCO has been providing essential treatment information and support to families whose children have been diagnosed with cancer since 1970. Started by parents, ACCO remains the largest grassroots voice of children with cancer in the country.

About the Brooklyn Cyclones
The Brooklyn Cyclones are the Short-Season Class A affiliate of the New York Mets. The Cyclones play at MCU Park, in the heart of Coney Island. Last year, the team led the New York-Penn League in attendance for the 13th consecutive season and the franchise has welcomed over 3,500,000 fans to the ballpark since its inception. The Cyclones have also advanced to the postseason nine times, winning a league championship in 2001 and a total of five McNamara Division titles.