Reliant Home Run Derby with Dallas Cowboys Knocks it Out of the Park Surpassing $1 Million for DFW Nonprofits

FRISCO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 22, 2025--

With thousands of fans cheering them on, the Dallas Cowboys stepped up to the plate and swung for the fences at the 12th annual Reliant Home Run Derby. The result: Reliant is donating $113,700 to 22 North Texas nonprofits, surpassing $1 million in total charitable support since the charity event began in 2012.

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“The Reliant Home Run Derby with the Dallas Cowboys is a fun and exciting competition that brings everyone together for a great cause,” said Andrea Russell, senior vice president, Reliant. “This year's event was a home run in every sense, raising thousands for local charities and showcasing the incredible spirit of Cowboys fans and our community. Surpassing $1 million in total charitable support is an incredible milestone, and we're excited to keep this tradition going and continue making a positive impact here in North Texas.”

Cowboys players took turns at bat, with each hit and home run earning a donation from Reliant, raising a total of $76,600 to benefit The Salvation Army of North Texas. Cowboys punter Bryan Anger was named the 2025 Reliant Home Run Derby champion with $13,200 raised and eight home runs. The full Dallas Cowboys lineup included:

Majors Paul and Dawn McFarland, Area Commanders for The Salvation Army of North Texas, and local students involved with The Salvation Army attended the event. One deserving student from The Salvation Army’s Gene and Jerry Jones Family Youth Education Town in Arlington also earned the opportunity to throw out the first pitch to a Cowboys player.

“Year after year, we are inspired by the generosity and enthusiasm of everyone involved with this event, and this year was no exception,” said Charlotte Jones, co-owner and chief brand officer, Dallas Cowboys. “We are grateful to Reliant for supporting local charities here in DFW, and we want to thank our amazing fans for their support and enthusiasm.”

Reliant Media League

Before the Cowboys took to the diamond, Reliant invited local media to try their hand at bat for a good cause in the ninth annual Reliant Media League, which featured 11 reporters from across DFW. Together they raised a total of $27,100 for local North Texas charities.

The lineup and their charities included:

Kristi Scales with the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network served as the Reliant Media League emcee.

Reliant supports local communities through volunteerism, charitable giving and collaboration with a variety of organizations throughout the year. In 2024, Reliant donated more than $4.8 million to causes across Texas, with employees giving more than 4,000 volunteer hours to over 200 causes.

About Reliant, an NRG Company

Reliant makes power personal - that's why homes and businesses trust Reliant not only as a provider of electricity, but also as a pillar of support in the communities we serve. From a best-in-class app to breakthrough innovations, Reliant is recognized nationally for outstanding customer service and as the leader in the evolving energy space with offerings that span from EV solutions to solar insights to smart home experiences. As part of NRG Energy, Inc., a Fortune 500 energy and home services company, our purpose is to power a brighter future together, one that is safe, smart and sustainable. For more information about Reliant, visit reliant.com and connect with Reliant on Facebook at facebook.com/reliantenergy and X or Instagram @reliantenergy. PUCT Certificate #10007.

About The Salvation Army of North Texas

The Salvation Army of North Texas provides a range of services to combat poverty, addiction, and homelessness at 21 centers of operation in Dallas and Rockwall, Tarrant and Ellis, and Denton and Collin counties. Faithful to our mission, The Salvation Army enables God-empowered transformations of individuals and society through food assistance, shelter, rehabilitation, counseling, spiritual support, mentoring and job placement, and more. For more information, visit SalvationArmyNorthTexas.org.

The Dallas Cowboys join electricity provider Reliant to present a check donation to The Salvation Army during the 12th annual Reliant Home Run Derby on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. Reliant donated $113,700 in total to 22 local charities during the event, surpassing $1 million in charitable support since the event began in 2012.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded the Motor Tanker Veronica early Thursday. She said the ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”

Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.

The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.

The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Galileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.

As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)