First Niagara, Buffalo Bisons host a baseball clinic for local underserved children

Approximately 50 children from the Willie Hutch Jones Summer Program will participate

The First Niagara Foundation and the Buffalo Bisons are teaming up to provide a baseball clinic for children enrolled in the Willie Hutch Jones Educational and Sports Program. The clinic will take place Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 10 a.m. until noon at Coca-Cola Field.

The clinic will provide aspiring young athletes with an opportunity to enhance their skills and build confidence. Approximately 50 children will participate in hitting, pitching and fielding drills with several Bisons players, and will receive tips from the pros.

"At First Niagara, we believe in helping young people learn valuable life skills to achieve life-long success," said Buford Sears, First Niagara regional president, Western New York. "We are proud to provide this opportunity for the children participating to learn something new, work together as a team and realize their potential."

"The Bisons are proud to team up with our tremendous corporate sponsor First Niagara to share our love and passion for the game of baseball with the children of the Willie Hutch Jones Educational and Sports Program," said Mike Buczkowski, vice president/general manager of the Bisons.

"As we celebrate our program's 30th anniversary, we are pleased that First Niagara recognizes and supports the work that we do in our community," said program co-founder Willie Hutch Jones. "By sponsoring an opportunity of this magnitude, they have aided in keeping our mission, which is to offer quality summer programming to the underserved youth of Erie County at no charge, a reality."

The First Niagara Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable entity. Founded in 1998, the First Niagara Foundation is committed to supporting organizations in the communities in which members live and work, with specific focus on youth and education, community development and neighborhood revitalization. In 2013, First Niagara contributed more than $9 million in charitable grants to community partners across the bank's four-state footprint.

For additional information on First Niagara, visit www.firstniagara.com, follow FN on Twitter @FirstNiagara, or "Like" it on Facebook at FirstNiagaraBank.