By Ben Risinger, sports information director
January 19, 2005

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton University is inviting all area children to attend its upcoming men's and women's basketball games on Jan. 29, 2005, against the Hanover College Panthers. The women's contest begins at 1 p.m. with the men's game starting at 3 p.m.  Youth will have an opportunity to experience the college game-day atmosphere when Bluffton University hosts NCAA  Basketball's 10th Anniversary Take A Kid to the Game  (TAKG) day celebration.  Youth, ages 14 and younger, will receive a free ticket with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket ($3), to watch the Beavers take on Hanover College in Founders Hall.

Bluffton University is one of more than 500 institutions across the nation that have come to participate in this campaign that is focused on attracting more of the nation's youth to college games.  The Take A Kid to the Game  program is celebrating it's10th year in the promotion of NCAA  athletics.

"We are thrilled to be apart of this 10th anniversary celebration of the TAKG program," said Ben Risinger, sports information director at Bluffton University.  "As we began our involvement with this worth-while program, we hoped that every child in our community would have the opportunity to experience the one-of-a-kind atmosphere at Founders Hall during Beaver basketball games."

Tickets for this special 10th anniversary game, which become available the week-of-the-game, can be purchased at the Bluffton University athletics office.

NCAA Basketball  is a national sponsor of the Take A Kid to the Game program.

TAKG is a grassroots marketing campaign created by Host Communications, Inc. to encourage alumni and fans to take their kids out to stadiums and arenas to experience intercollegiate athletics.  HOST, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bull Run Corporation, is a sports, lifestyle and affinity group marketing and management company based in Lexington, KY.