GARY, Ind. — The Gary SouthShore RailCats players, coaches and staff are proud to be joining forces with the Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery of Indiana on Friday, May 14 to assist with a variety of building projects aimed at rebuilding and restoring hundreds of homes still affected by the flood of September 2008.

Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery of Indiana, better known as LARRI, is a long-term recovery committee formed to assist the survivors of the September 2008 floods and restore their homes to a safe, sanitary and secure standard.  Their mission is to assist in recovery from disaster through the coordination of community resources, sharing of information and reconnecting lives to hope.  LARRI is composed of agencies, churches, organizations and volunteers from the three counties who came together to respond to the disaster.

Volunteers are still needed to help restore homes to a livable condition as there are still new cases brought to LARRI almost every day.  The RailCats entire staff is lending a hand by dedicating their time and energy at a number of sites across Northwest Indiana on May 14.  Additionally, Saturday, May 22 will be LARRI Night at U. S. Steel Yard.

“We feel very strongly about giving back to the communities of Northwest Indiana,” President and General Manager of the RailCats Roger Wexelberg said, “and we are extremely excited to be able to contribute to an organization like LARRI, which is doing so much for this region.” 

In addition to volunteers of all skill levels, LARRI is in need of construction materials, tools and housing for volunteer teams. Contact LARRI toll free at 877.527.7448 to learn how you can help or visit their website, www.larri.info.

U. S. Steel Yard is the city-owned home of the Gary SouthShore RailCats, Northwest Indiana's premier professional sports franchise. The RailCats have attracted more than one million fans to The Steel Yard since the ballpark opened in 2003 and have been consistently committed to the revitalization of Gary, Indiana. In conjunction with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana, the RailCats will host their second charity exhibition game against Valparaiso University on May 12 with all ticket proceeds benefitting the Boys and Girls Clubs.

The RailCats open the 2010 Northern League season Thursday, May 20 at U. S. Steel Yard against the Kansas City T-Bones at 7 p.m. Season tickets, group outings, mini-plans and flex packages are now on sale, and can be purchased by calling 219.882.2255. For more information on the RailCats, visit www.railcatsbaseball.com.