Bob Costas unveils the ‘Stan the Man’ Musial memorial #6 statue at SSM Cardinal Glennon

ST. LOUIS, MO (April 19, 2013) – NBC broadcaster Bob Costas unveiled the ‘Stan the Man’ Musial memorial #6 statue with members of the Musial family and supporters of SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The statue is part of 2013 Homers for Health, a home run pledge program Powered by Peabody Energy to benefit the medical center. Led by Co-Chairs Matt Holliday, David Freese and Allen Craig, Homers for Health invites baseball fans to pledge as little as .25 cents per home run during the St. Louis Cardinals regular season.

This year, the players honored the legendary Cardinal by creating a special “Stan the Man” memorial $6 pledge. The names of those who pledged $6 or more per home run are displayed on the statue overlaid in front of pictures of Musial’s life.

Costas, a member of the Board of Governors for SSM Cardinal Glennon, honored Musial at the unveiling, paying tribute to his many years of fundraising for the medical center. In 1975 Musial chaired a capital campaign for the ambulatory care wing expansion, raising $5 million dollars to fund the project.

“This hospital, and the children and families it has served, are forever indebted to Stan Musial for his kindness, generosity and spirit,” said Bob Costas, who hosted the ceremony held at the medical center today.

Present at the unveiling was Richard Winter, president of Garden View Care Centers, who fully funded the cost of the statue. Standing seven feet tall, the statue will make a stop at each of his care centers, which house “Stan the Man” recreational rooms. “Stan’s Number Six” created by Tivoli Too, a 3D design firm out of Rochester Minnesota, has room for 100 more Homers for Health donors who make the $6 pledge. The firm–who has designed works at baseball stadiums, Walt Disney World, Rainforest Café and numerous amusement parks–calls this piece the most inspiring and important custom piece they’ve ever created, because they know how much Stan Musial means to this community, to our nation and to the baseball world.

Bob Costas is in town for the 25th Anniversary of the Bob Costas Charity Benefit to be held Saturday evening at the Fox Theatre. The Cardinals players, out of town to face the Philadelphia Phillies in tonight’s game, were unable to attend the ceremony. Holliday sent a special message to those in attendance:

“Please tell everyone in attendance how grateful and humbled we are by their generous pledges in honor of Stan.” Holliday said. “He is forever the greatest Cardinal and we are honored to follow in his footsteps as ambassadors for Cardinal Glennon, a place filled with so many heroes.”