Mark Teixeira to begin his own charitable fund through communities foundation of Texas

Texas Rangers First Baseman Mark Teixeira and his wife Leigh have established the Mark Teixeira Charitable Fund that will support six scholarships at three high schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Each school – Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth, Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, and Dallas Jesuit – will administer two $5,000 scholarships. The Teixeira’s will continue to support charities in Mark’s native Baltimore, Maryland, as alumni of the Georgia Institute of Technology and others locally in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex.

Along with his monetary donations, Mark plans to raise additional funds by contributing unique autographed memorabilia to the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation silent auctions held at every home game during the 2006 season. All proceeds from Teixeira’s items will be split between his and the team’s foundations. The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation will donate $100 to Teixeira’s foundation for every home run he hits during the 2006 season.

Mark originally began his charitable endeavors when he established a memorial grant in honor of Nick Liberatore, a close childhood friend, who was killed in a car accident in 1997at the age of 16. The recipient each year is a student at Mark and Nick’s alma mater, Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore, who reflects the values, character, and spirit of Nick Liberatore. The grant encourages students to continue their education by attending college.

“Leigh and I have always felt loved by the people of Dallas/Fort Worth, The Mark Teixeira Charitable Fund is our way of giving back to this community,” commented Mark Teixeira.

Leigh Teixeira, who graduated with a degree in industrial design, designed the logo for the foundation. It consists of a baseball with a green background and a shooting star. The shooting star arching over the baseball represents the charitable fund’s purpose – to allow kids to reach for their dreams. Leigh also created the cover of the 2005 wives cookbook that was used as a fundraising tool to raise money for the local food banks and the Family Place in Dallas.

Mark and Leigh have been actively involved with the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and have co-hosted the Park Place Dealerships Texas Rangers Triple Play for the last three years. The event raises money for college scholarships, Habitat for Humanity homes, and youth ballparks. Mark has also visited local shelters during the hurricane relief efforts, participated in the Players Association Trust for Children’s Buses for Baseball program, and is the spokesperson for the Dr Pepper Jr. Rangers. As the spokesperson for the Dr Pepper Jr. Rangers, Mark will donate 100 Jr. Rangers kits to local Boys & Girls Club children making them official members of the Rangers kids club at no cost.

For more information or to get involved with the Mark Teixeira Charitable Fund, please call 817-273-5214.