masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles today announced the Birdland Community Heroes for the weekend series against the Oakland Athletics from May 6-8. This new initiative honors Birdland Community Heroes who have inspired others through their spirited commitment to extend a hand in charity, service, hope, and harmony. Each of the honorees will be featured during an in-game ceremony at the conclusion of the fifth inning. On Friday, May 6, when the Orioles host Student Night, Dr. Carla D. Hayden, CEO of the Enoch Pratt…

The Orioles today announced the Birdland Community Heroes for the weekend series against the Oakland Athletics from May 6-8. This new initiative honors Birdland Community Heroes who have inspired others through their spirited commitment to extend a hand in charity, service, hope, and harmony. Each of the honorees will be featured during an in-game ceremony at the conclusion of the fifth inning.

On Friday, May 6, when the Orioles host Student Night, Dr. Carla D. Hayden, CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, will be recognized for her recent nomination by President Barack Obama as Librarian of Congress. Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to promoting youth literacy and to modernizing libraries so that everyone can participate in today’s digital culture. She would be the first woman and the first African American to hold the position if she is confirmed as Librarian of Congress.

The Orioles will celebrate Safety Patrol Day on Saturday, May 7, and will honor Ivan Glerum as the Birdland Community Hero for his act of saving a child from an oncoming bus last year. Glerum is a sixth grader at Lakelands Park Middle School in Gaithersburg, Md. who works as a safety patrolman at Diamond Elementary School. He was nominated as Outstanding Safety Patrol at the end of last school year and is one of eleven students to receive the prestigious AAA National Lifesaving medal nationwide this year. As part of Safety Patrol Day, the Orioles are hosting more than 10,000 safety patrollers on May 7 and May 14.

On Sunday, May 8, the Orioles will recognize Dick Gelfman for helping to raise more than $2.5 million for various charitable organizations in the fight against breast cancer. Gelfman is an advocate for Ride Across Maryland, which is an annual gathering, now in its 16th year, that unites bikers from across the Mid-Atlantic to raise money and awareness for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. The Orioles will wear jerseys with pink Orioles script and caps with a pink cartoon bird on Mother’s Day, joining Major League Baseball in raising funds and awareness for breast cancer research.

Throughout the 2016 season, the Orioles will recognize local Birdland Community Heroes on the scoreboard at Oriole Park during every weekend home game. The Orioles also celebrate American principles and ideals with the playing of classic, American songs during the seventh-inning stretch on weekends. For additional information about the Birdland Community Heroes program, visit www.orioles.com/heroes.