Groundbreaking Negro Leagues Centennial Team Bobblehead Series and Kickstarter Campaign Launched

Groundbreaking Negro Leagues Centennial Team Bobblehead Series and Kickstarter Campaign Launched
Kickstarter Campaign launched to commemorate Negro Leagues Centennial and honor former Negro Leagues players.
Milwaukee, WI – December 12, 2018 – Today, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and Dreams Fulfilled launched a Kickstarter Campaign to create a series of officially licensed, limited edition bobbleheads to celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of the founding of the Negro National League which will take place in 2020. The goal of the series is to honor and celebrate the league and its players, many of whom were never honored with a bobblehead.
Each bobblehead in the series will be individually numbered to 2,020 and come in a collector’s box with a “back story” of the player. The bobblehead series is officially licensed by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with Dreams Fulfilled and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Approvals have been received from all the identified estates of players featured in the series.
Kickstarter Backers can secure the best pricing by supporting the project before production of the series begins. Several options are available through the Kickstarter Campaign for people wishing to support the project. If the Kickstarter Campaign is successful, the production process for the remaining bobbleheads in the series will begin and the bobbleheads will be available in the National Bobblehead HOF and Museum’s online and retail stores, Dreams Fulfilled’s website, www.negroleagueshistory.com, the Negro League Baseball Museum Store and other outlets throughout the country.
The Negro League Centennial Team (1920 – 2020) will be comprised of 30 of the greatest African-American and Cuban players from 1895-1947. Each player will be depicted on a baseball-shaped base with a replica of Kansas City’s Paseo YMCA, the site where the Negro National League was organized on February 13, 1920.
Satchel Paige is the first player selected to the Centennial team and his bobblehead has been completed. Paige will be joined by 10 additional pitchers, three catchers, five outside infielders (1B, 3B), three inside infielders (2B, SS), seven outfielders, one utility player, a manager and an owner as voted on by an on-line poll at  www.negroleagueshistory.com and supplemented by five additional players.
The players comprising the Negro Leagues Centennial Team are being announced at a special event at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City December 12, 2018 at 11 a.m. Central Standard Time.  Bob Kendrick, President of the NLBM, will announce the team in conjunction with Jay Caldwell, founder of Dreams Fulfilled. The Kickstarter campaign will begin on December 12^th at noon and conclude on January 7, 2019, which is National Bobblehead Day.
“We are thrilled to commemorate a historic number of former Negro League players with bobbleheads, which are the ultimate honor,” said Phil Sklar, Co-Founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. “Many of these players have never had bobbleheads, and these bobbleheads will help ensure that their legacy and vital contribution to baseball and society is always remembered.”
Jay Caldwell, founder of Dreams Fulfilled stated, “The Negro Leagues Centennial series will bring long overdue recognition to players who were not only among the best to ever play the game, but also early civil rights pioneers who helped pave the way for integration in baseball and the country.”
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Negro Leagues bobblehead will go to the relatives of the Negro League players and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum located in Kansas City, Missouri.
The bobbleheads are officially licensed and are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.
About the Negro Leagues:
The first successful Negro League was founded by Rube Foster on February 13, 1920 at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City.  Foster believed an organized league structured like major league baseball would lead to eventual integration of the sport and racial reconciliation.  Foster did not live to see his dream come true.  Others picked up his cause and in 1947 Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color line.
About the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum:
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is finishing set-up of its permanent location, which is expected to open this winter. The HOF and Museum was announced in November 2014 and hosted a Preview Exhibit in 2016. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for organizations, individuals and teams across the country. www.BobbleheadHall.com, www.facebook.com/BobbleheadHall or www.twitter.com/BobbleheadHall.

About Dreams Fulfilled:
Dreams Fulfilled was organized to promote the Negro National League Centennial in 2020.  Its founder, Jay Caldwell, has been selected by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as the primary exhibitor for an art and artifact exhibition at the museum between February 1 and May 31, 2020.  Dreams Fulfilled will be exhibiting 300 original pieces of art honoring Negro League players and nearly 100 artifacts of African American baseball dating back to 1871.  Visit us at www.NegroLeaguesHistory.com or www.facebook.com/NegroLeaguesHistory. 
About the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum:
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its profound impact on the social advancement of America. The NLBM operates one block from the Paseo YMCA where Andrew “Rube” Foster founded the Negro National League in 1920. In 2006, the NLBM was designated as “America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum” by the United States Congress.