INDIANAPOLIS --- The NCAA® Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners, in conjunction with NCAA staff, CBS Sports and the Detroit Local Organizing Committee (DLOC), are coming together to refurbish a Detroit playground and ballpark as part of the Road to the NCAA® Men’s Final Four® next April.  The community service project will take place from 1 to 4:30 p.m., September 15 at Jayne Field and Lasky Park in Detroit.

NCAA Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners and members of NCAA staff, CBS Sports and the DLOC will pick up trash, landscape, repair and repaint bleachers as their way of giving back to the local Detroit community for hosting the upcoming Men’s Final Four.

The NCAA plans to conduct the event with its Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners in the host community where the Men’s Final Four takes place.  NCAA Corporate Champions include AT&T, Coca-Cola and Pontiac.  NCAA Corporate Partners include Enterprise Rent-a-Car, The Hartford, Hershey’s, Lowe’s, Sheraton and State Farm.  

The NCAA selected Jayne Field and Lasky Park based upon the advice of the DLOC.  The facility features 11 baseball and softball diamonds.  The nearby Lasky Park has several recently renovated basketball courts.  Other Detroit organizations, Think Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL), Greening of Detroit, Clean Downtown and the City of Detroit Recreation Department, are also heavily involved in the project.

The community service effort will serve as the kickoff for the traditional fall NCAA Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners Summit, typically held in the host city of the Men’s Final Four.  The three-day summit features key representatives of the NCAA, its Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners, CBS Sports and the local host city discussing topics related to corporate activations and plans for the Men’s Final Four. 

NCAA Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners represent America's top corporations who help the NCAA promote the value of athletics in education. The companies provide funding and expertise to support youth programs, fan interactive experiences and scholarship programs for NCAA student-athletes, in addition to promoting the excitement of the NCAA's championships. 

“The 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Detroit provides a unique opportunity for the NCAA and its Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners to set a new standard surrounding NCAA Championships,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA senior vice president for basketball and business strategies.  

“One of our goals is to leave a positive and tangible footprint on our host communities, especially their youth.   We think refurbishing Jayne Field and Lasky Park is a great way to give back to the city of Detroit for hosting the Men’s Final Four.  It’s our way of saying thank you to Detroit.  We’re excited about coming to Detroit for the Corporate Champion and Corporate Partner Summit and Community Service Project next week as well as the Men’s Final Four in April,” Shaheen said.