FOX Sports Southwest to Host Shannon Stone Benefit Sept. 13

FOX Sports Southwest will host a live benefit during the September 13 Cleveland Indians-Texas Rangers telecast to raise funds for the Shannon Stone Memorial Fund.

Fans will have an opportunity during the telecast to bid on several one-of-a-kind sports and entertainment packages provided by FOX Sports Southwest and participating sponsors. Proceeds from the in-game telethon will be donated to the fund established by the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation in honor of Shannon Stone, the Brownwood, Texas firefighter who passed away from injuries suffered in a tragic accident July 7 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

“We want to respectfully honor the memory of Shannon Stone,” said FOX Sports Southwest Senior Vice President/General Manager Jon Heidtke. “The outpouring of support for the Stone family from the community and our partners has been overwhelming. Everyone wants to comfort the family, but most people don’t know how they can help. We hope that through this benefit we’ll be able to provide a vehicle for fans and the community to participate.”

The auction will be part of the game telecast and will be hosted by Rangers Live anchor John Rhadigan. He’ll provide updates throughout the night from the Ebbett’s Field suite at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington where local celebrities and FOX Sports Southwest volunteers will be taking bids.

Among the packages fans can bid on include:

• Golf with FOX Sports NFL analyst Troy Aikman at Four Seasons Resort in Dallas: Winner and a guest will play 18 holes in a foursome with the former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champion quarterback and his guest at the TPC Four Seasons course in Las Colinas designed by D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolfard. Winner and a guest also will enjoy dinner for two at the Four Season’s Café on the Green restaurant.

• VIP Visit To FOX NFL Sunday: Airfare and two-night hotel stay for two to Los Angeles to watch the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show and meet Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Curt Menefee, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan. Watch all the NFL games from the VIP room at the FOX Studios in Los Angeles and enjoy a breakfast and lunch buffet. Included is a professional photograph on the set with FOX pregame show talent.

• BCS Championship Experience: Airfare and two-night hotel stay for two to New Orleans to attend the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. Includes two tickets to the Jan. 9 game.
• America’s Team VIP Experience: Eighteen-seat luxury suite at Cowboys Stadium for the Oct. 2 Dallas Cowboys game against the Detroit Lions. Includes 18 social sideline passes, five VIP parking passes, and a catered meal and non-alcoholic beverages.

• Red River Rivalry Ultimate Tailgate: Ride to the annual Texas-Oklahoma game at the Cotton Bowl on the FOX College Football custom motor coach to enjoy a VIP Game Day experience. Includes four tickets to this year’s game plus food and non-alcoholic beverages.

• Travel with the Stars: Winner and guest will travel on the Dallas Stars team plane to Chicago to attend the Oct. 8 game against the Blackhawks and stay in the team hotel. Includes two tickets to the game and an autographed team jersey.

• Texas Motor Speedway VIP Experience:  Four Victory Lane club suite tickets to the Nov. 6 AAA Texas 500. Included are four VIP pit passes to the NASCAR race and one VIP parking pass.

• FC Dallas VIP Game Experience: Four on-field tickets to an upcoming FC Dallas game plus an autographed team jersey and a photo-autograph session with players after the game.

• Hollywood Red Carpet Experience: Airfare and two-night hotel stay for two to Los Angeles to attend the upcoming movie premier of 20^th Century FOX’s comedy What’s Your Number? starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans.

• FOX News Political Insider: Airfare and two-night hotel stay for two to New York City to attend the taping of FOX News Channel’s The Mike Huckabee Show. Includes backstage pass to meet the former Republican Arkansas governor.

• Be A FOX Sports Broadcaster: Behind-the-scenes at a live Texas Rangers telecast. Meet FOX Sports Southwest announcers Dave Barnett and Tom Grieve and sit in the broadcast booth. Winner and a guest will tour the television production truck, attend the pregame production meeting, hang out with reporter Jim Knox during the game, and appear on a future episode of the weekly Rangers Insider magazine show.

Other packages will include VIP experiences with several other of Dallas-Fort Worth’s professional sports teams and will be announced prior to the benefit.

“All of our team partners have really stepped up with some fantastic one-of-a-kind fan experiences,” Heidtke said. “They’ve been very generous and extremely supportive. We’re grateful they’ll be involved in this event.”

Donations are not being accepted as charitable donations and are likely not tax deductible.  Persons buying the auction items should consult their tax advisor regarding the proper tax treatment of any amounts paid.