More than 2,000 supporters of early education attended LAUP's "Dodger Day" event on Sunday, June 13 at Dodger Stadium, where they enjoyed an exciting game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim while making a difference in the lives of many children. LAUP sold tickets to the game, with proceeds used to fund high-quality preschool for four-year-olds in Los Angeles County.

"This was a fantastic event, where families from near and afar joined together to support increased accessibility to quality early childhood education to help children dream big and pursue endless possibilities," said Celia C. Ayala, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of LAUP. "I was touched by the support LAUP received from so many people. Overall, it was an event to remember, and I want to thank everyone who participated."

Last year, more than 1,500 people supported LAUP by attending Dodger Day on Sept. 14 to watch the Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. This year, LAUP exceeded ticket sales by about 500.

During the event, Evelyn V. Martinez, Executive Director of First 5 LA, LAUP's primary funder, threw out the first pitch from the pitcher's mound to Dr. Ayala at home plate to the roaring approval of thousands throughout Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, who chairs the First 5 LA Commission, was also in attendance in support of LAUP.

"First 5 LA supports LAUP's mission of making quality preschool accessible to all families across L.A. County, and I was happy to be associated with this great event to support such efforts," Martinez said. "First 5 LA's partnership with LAUP is an important one, and I look forward to continued collaboration for the benefit of young children throughout L.A. County."

LAUP would like to thank the following sponsors, who made this Dodger Day fundraising event a success: LAUP's Presenting Sponsor was AltaMed Health Services Corporation. The Grand Slam Sponsors are The McGraw-Hill Companies-School Education Group and Kaplan Early Learning Company.