One Step Closer to Home Promotion Hits Home.

Gazette-Times Runs Feature Highlighting Knights Work in Support of Community Outreach, Inc.

Closer to home: Knights stolen base promotion raises $1,500 for COI.
by Nathan Bruttell, Gazette-Times

The Corvallis Knights brought Corvallis families a lot closer to home this season.

In addition to winning the West Coast League Championship, the Knights and Pape Material Handling helped raise $1,523 to support Community Outreach Inc.'s efforts to raise awareness about homelessness and provide services for those in need.

The season-long promotion, known as "Pape Material Keeps You Moving One Step Closer to Home," donated $10 for each stolen base the team earned all season.

Team President Dan Segel said he sees the promotion as the team's first of many steps in helping to address homelessness in Corvallis.

"I feel like we hit it out of the park in this first season and I couldn't be any more pleased," Segel said. "Our intention is to do it all again next year. Every little thing builds momentum so I'm really excited to build on this."

As part of the promotion, the team doubled each $10 donation for every stolen base earned during a home win. The Knights were second in the West Coast League this year with 113 stolen bases. Segel said that the season-long promotion, the team winning the championship and setting an attendance record made the 10th season for the Corvallis Knights unforgettable.

"We set very high expectations and so many things worked out great for us this year," Segel said. "I would say on a scale of one to 10, this was a 10. That doesn't happen very often. Everything really came together nicely. It was rewarding for us on all kinds of levels."

But the promotion extended well beyond monetary contributions. In July, the Knights held a "Food, Toy and Clothing Drive" night at Goss Stadium and then teamed up with Community Outreach again to clean Bruce Starker Arts Park in preparation for Community Outreach's annual fundraising luau.

Segel said he was happy the Knights could contribute beyond the donations, but he was most proud when he found out the Knights players donated 60 tickets of their own for the families at the shelter.

"The team winning games and stealing lots of bases and the donations was great, but for me, besides the fact that we were supporting a good cause, the best thing was seeing our players embracing this and seeing what that meant for the families," he said.

Community Outreach's temporary shelter at 865 N.W. Reiman Ave. has 11 beds for families, 12 beds for men and 16 beds for women. Chris Quaka, development director at Community Outreach, said the promotion helped the organization through one of its busiest years and helped shine a light on unseen homelessness in Corvallis.

"We were regularly impressed with the dedication from the Knights' leadership and the team members," Quaka said. "I've been doing this a long time and that level of dedication and reaction from the community is something that was just great to see. I think this far exceeded our expectations."

Quaka added that the monetary donation was appreciated, but the commitment from the entire Knights organization, and especially the players, created a lasting impact on local families in need.

"We were excited when they said they would sponsor us, but when they did the drive and the cleanup and integrated all of that that with their players and the mission of their team, it was very powerful and gave a lot of hope to our families," he said. "I was taken aback by how much time and effort they put into this. It was truly heartwarming."

Segel said plans are in place to continue the promotion next season.

"Who knows how we can build on this. That's the exciting thing for a guy like me," Segel said. "I don't know what we're going to do to build off this, but it's nice to have a foundation in place. We took a lot of great steps this year and hopefully we can take some more next year."

Closer to home: Knights stolen base promotion raises $1,500 for COI (September 5, 2016)- by Nathan Bruttell, Gazette-Times