• by Karl Greenberg , April 23, 2009

Major League Baseball is running a promotion with People magazine timed with the league's All-Star game. The program extending People's "Heroes Among Us" franchise, is called "All-Stars Among Us," and spotlights regular people who have done heroic or extraordinary things in their communities.

The initiative, part of MLB's All-Star Summer program around community service, will identify 30 such "All-Stars" one representing each Major League Club. The heroes will attend and be honored at the 2009 MLB All-Star Game and one will be featured in People.

The contest will be focused on online media, with www.PeopleAllStars.com going live this week as the sign-up site for people to nominate themselves or others. The magazine and the league will announce three finalists per club in June. Then the public votes at the web site for one winner among the finalists to represent each Club at the 2009 MLB All-Star Game.

All 30 winners will be integrated into the All-Star Week festivities in St. Louis and honored during the All-Star Game pre-game ceremony. One winning "All-Star Among Us" will be featured in People's editorial section the week of the MLB All-Star Game.

"Celebrating the 'Heroes Among Us' has been an important part of People editorial throughout its 35-year history," said managing editor Larry Hackett.