Stephen Piscotty’s phone blew up Saturday morning, shortly after the A’s announced that a section of fan cutouts purchased would benefit the ALS Cure Project.
Texts started flooding in with friends and family saying they wanted one.
They’re available for $149 in an exclusive section down the first base line and come with an autographed photo of Piscotty, with proceeds going to a great cause.
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The ALS Cure Project is run by the Piscotty family, set up after matriarch Gretchen Piscotty died in May 2018 of ALS. The charity foundation is devoted to helping fund and find a cure for the debilitating disease. The ALS Cure Project is actively raising funds through community events, and the A’s have been helpful in this endeavor since Stephen Piscotty joined the A’s.
That includes this new endeavor, where fans can display a cutout of themselves – they’re available in other parts of the Coliseum as well – at the stadium during a time with they aren’t allowed in during the coronavirus pandemic.
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If one in the ALS Cure Project Foul Zone gets hit with a foul ball, Piscotty will sign the cutout itself as a one-of-a-kind keepsake after the season ends.
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“We’d obviously love to sell that section out,” Piscotty said. “That would be really cool, and it would mean a lot to our foundation. We had a bunch of things planned, from a golf tournament to another gala we had done previously that got shut down due to the pandemic, so we were looking for ways to raise funds elsewhere. I think this is a unique initiative, so hopefully they can sell it out. It would really move the needle for us.”
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The A’s have been supportive from a business perspective, but those on the roster have devoted time, effort and their platform to helping the Piscottys and their cause to find a cure.
“It’s what Stephen’s all about, so it doesn’t surprise me,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “I know he’s excited about it. I was informed about that yesterday and I’m all for it. We’ll do anything we can along those lines during what is a difficult time for our country. We can play baseball to support that, but also doing things charity-wise like Stephen consistently does is a great idea.”