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Inner-city youth baseball team surprised with trip of a lifetime

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What started out as a surprise is now a dream come true for a group of inner-city teens participating in Chicago's Union League Boys and Girls Club's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) team. Through the partnership of American Airlines, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Major League Baseball and the Chicago Cubs, RBI was surprised with an all-expense paid trip to Mesa, Arizona, to participate in the Cubs' spring training camp at Sloan Park and spend time with the team.

 It all started in February when the RBI team attended what they thought was a casual baseball clinic. When they saw a message on a projector from Cubs' first baseman Anthony Rizzo, they realized this wasn't just an ordinary baseball clinic. Rizzo revealed that RBI would be joining the Cubs in Arizona during spring training with complementary hotel stays provided by Starwood. To top off what seemed to be an already overwhelming surprise for the team, pilots David Shober and Mika Tang along with flight attendants Jillian Bocenda and Pamela Shirley emerged to share that the team would be flying to Arizona courtesy of American.

 "We're thrilled to continue our partnership as the Official Airline of the Chicago Cubs," said Fern Fernandez vice president,  Global Marketing. "It's particularly special for us to be able to give back to the Chicago community by providing the Union League Boys & Girls Club's RBI team the opportunity to experience the Cubs' spring training."

 On March 18, employees and customers at ORD greeted and cheered the RBI team at their gate for a send-off celebration. Franco Tedeschi, vice president, ORD Hub Operations gave the team a pep talk before they left. This was the first airplane ride for many of the RBI players and when they arrived at PHX, the excitement and applause continued among employees and customers alike.

Throughout the weekend, the RBI team met some of the Cubs players,  watched the team practice and got a behind-the-scenes tour  and played against the Arizona RBI team at Sloan Park.

 "This has been a truly amazing experience," said Chicago RBI Coach Ernest Radcliff upon their return to ORD. "The boys even won the game against the Arizona team!"