There was Vera Marelli, sitting in the sun, talking about all the children she knows who have been touched by Tickets for Kids Charities, a group that provides free tickets to send children to the zoo, to sporting events, to musicals.

There was the deaf boy on his first trip to a Penguins game. The sport became more vivid, because he sat so close to the ice that he felt the vibrations of the rough and tumble.

There were the little girls, prancing on their toes as they left "Swan Lake," inspired to dream of being ballerinas.

Without hesitation, Ms. Marelli shared the tale of the children who sat in the Red Zone at Heinz Field, so close to the team that they were able to high-five Jerome Bettis.

Ms. Marelli, a former teacher who's now program director of Tickets for Kids, has a million such stories.

Tickets for Kids has been around for 13 years. This year, it reaches the milestone of having given tickets to 1 million deserving children -- sending them to thousands of events with an estimated ticket value of $16 million.

To celebrate, Tickets for Kids has launched a yearlong campaign, "I'm One in a Million," to raise awareness of its philanthropy and to build bridges to more social service groups and children in need.

The celebration kicked off Sunday when Adam Howard, 12, from the North Side, threw a pitch to the Pirate Parrot at a baseball game with the Chicago Cubs.

Adam, who lives with his grandmother and three sisters, represented the million children, 50,000 of whom have been to Pirates games at PNC Park.

"We think getting North Side children to baseball games is important," said Ms. Marelli. "The stadium is practically in their back yards, so hearing the fireworks and hearing the cheers should not be so foreign."

Tickets for Kids reaches both urban and rural youngsters in 26 counties in Western Pennsylvania. It also has outreach in some parts of Ohio and West Virginia.

Headquartered in Aspinwall, the group was founded in 1994 by a couple visiting a ballgame with their sons. What they observed disturbed them: too many empty seats and too little diversity among the fans, all of whom appeared to be mostly middle-income spectators.

To fill those seats, they created Tickets for Kids, seeking donated tickets to sporting events and handing them out for free to children in need.

Today, the organization serves as a sort of tax-deductible donations clearing house. Individuals, corporations, museums and others give the tickets. Then the nonprofit group informs its network of social service agencies what opportunities are available.

The agencies that get the tickets must have legal nonprofit status and show they have the capacity to get children to events.

In 2006, 177,000 children went through the turnstiles; so far in 2007, 200,000 have gone to events. Ninety percent of the tickets are used -- for the group, nothing is worse than an unused ticket.

Part of the motivation for Tickets for Kids organizers is that tickets provide the power of inclusion for children that lack of income or lack of exposure slams the door on.

"By including children in community events," said Ms. Marelli, "we're telling them this is my neighborhood. It makes them feel more a part of this region."

There are many who contribute.

A University of Pittsburgh graduate organized friends and law colleagues and for five years now they have given 60 Pitt football season tickets and 19 Pitt basketball tickets.

There are many who benefit.

Brian Foltz is executive director of Allegheny Youth Development, a 13-year-old North Side program that reaches out to 40 at-risk teenage boys, teaching them Christian discipline and sports.

He's been involved with Tickets for Kids since its beginning and likes the idea because "the group does all the work, and AYD can save its focus for the kids."

"We took four teenage boys to the opera. They enjoyed it," said Mr. Foltz. "For three of them, it was their first trip to the Benedum Center.

"We never want any boy to say he's not interested in something simply because he hasn't been exposed. He may not like it, but at least we've given him the opportunity to experience it. I think the excursions offer camaraderie and exposure."