Bet More than Money on the World Series

I know what you’re thinking. What do baseball and volunteering have to do with each other? Well, normally nothing, unless you’re a volunteer coach, referee, team parent…well wait baseball and volunteering have a lot in common. So why don’t you make your bet on the World Series about volunteering too?

That’s what Mayor Bloomberg of New York and Mayor Nutter from Philadelphia are doing. Each is betting his team will win, and they’re putting their money where their mouth is, or volunteering in this case. The losing mayor will go and volunteer with the winning mayor’s project while wearing the winning team’s t-shirt. For Mayor Bloomberg, that means going to Philly to work on a public mural, or Mayor Nutter going to New York to work with Publicolor and students painting open spaces. The winner will also pay for a catered lunch for volunteers.

All this stems from Major League Baseball dedicating the first four games to community service for the first time. “Going Beyond” is a new initiative sponsored by MLB that supports programs for veterans, cancer research and youth development.

Think about that when you make your next bet.