by Steve Carney

The Tampa Bay Rays and Helios Education Foundation have formed a partnership to offer $1 million in scholarships as a part of Take Stock in Children in five Bay Area counties.

“The Rays are proud to join the Helios Education Foundation and Take Stock in Children in the creation of “Doubling up for Education,” said Tampa Bay Rays Principle Owner Stuart Sternberg. “The scholarships and mentoring support provided by this program will open new doors for students and families throughout Tampa Bay and provide long-lasting impacts within our community.”

The five counties that will receive the donations are Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties.

For each double Rays players hit in a regular season game, Helios will donate $600 to the scholarship program, which the Rays Baseball Foundation will match.  The foundations expect to donate a combined $200,000 per season for the next five seasons.