Less than 12 hours after Bryan Reynolds’ walkoff homer, Brandon Lowe found himself similarly awestruck on Saturday morning while gazing down Federal Street.
A sizable crowd had gathered for the Pirates Charities Family Walk, an event in its fifth year benefitting AHN’s Chill Mobile program and supporting mental health programming throughout the region.
With own personal connection to the cause, Lowe and his wife Madison are already donating $250 to Pirates Charities for every homer Brandon hits this season and jumped at the chance to do more at this year’s walk.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Lowe said. “But you got on stage and saw how deep it went in the street, how excited they were, it was really cool to see that sort of turnout.”
Lowe knows firsthand mental health is something to be taken seriously.
Back in 2017, his uncle took his own life. Lowe, who was in Spring Training with the Rays at the time, was understandably shaken. He said he didn’t want to appear weak and instead internalized everything.
Over time, Lowe began to realize that he was sort of a microcosm of the ongoing mental-health crisis.
“With my uncle, you never would have known there was anything bothering him,” Lowe said. “Turns out he was fighting some real issues and thought the only way out was to take his own life.
“Seeing how that affected my family, I internalized it. Didn’t know how to talk about it. I thought, ‘Is this going to upset my mom? How do we do this?’“
In Tampa, Brandon and Madison ran a “Home Runs for Hope” program that attached monetary donations to homers.
That has since been transferred to Pirates Charities and AHN Chill Mobile, with the Lowes actually increasing how much they donate.
“We should be able to talk about mental health,” Lowe said. “If you’re going through a rough patch, there are people who want to help. Chill Mobile has been one of those things in Pittsburgh. It’s OK to not be OK.
“I’d love to hit 75 home runs just so we could donate more money.”
With a record 1,200 participants lined up outside of PNC Park, the event kicked at 9 a.m., with half- and two-mile courses. Each allowing participants to touch home plate to finish.
After concluding the walk, there was a full-blown carnival with concessions, games and information stands along the Riverwalk.
Along with Lowe, manager Don Kelly, Konnor Griffin, Mason Montgomery, Brandan Bidois and catching coach Jordan Comadena made appearances and signed autographs.
Pirates president Travis Williams mingled with fans and also marveled at how far these efforts have come.
Following the pandemic, the Pirates and AHN partnered for the Chill Project, aimed at helping students, teachers and parents develop key coping skills to during a difficult time.
And also, as Lowe explained, to emphasize that it’s OK to not be OK.
“That’s one thing that’s beautiful about the Pirates: Players, coaches, front-office staff, everyone has shows up on behalf of Pirates Charities,” Williams said. “Starting with our chairman, Bob Nutting, to myself and the entire organization, we know how important these initiatives are.
“They don’t happen without partners like Sheetz and Pella Windows, and they don’t happen without fans showing up. They showed up 1,200 strong today. This is awesome.”
Founded and led by Dr. Will Davies, the AHN Chill Project has helped more than 1,5000 educators reach roughly 20,000 students, emphasizing ways to identify problems early and teaching them ways to address them that extend far beyond childhood.
This fall, Chill Mobile will begin its fifth year in schools, with the organization’s trademark RV (nicknamed “Rhonda”) receiving a bunch of improvements.
“The Pirates really make it fun and a great experience for the kids, allowing us to bring the skills to them in a way that’s not typical,” Dr. Davies said. “Seeing all the people here, it really shows that the community is behind it.”
Mike and Rebecca Prible brought their sons, Lucas and Jack, from Cranberry to help a wonderful cause, go for a walk together and meet Griffin.
As they walked, Lucas and Jack were actually gifted a lineup card from Friday’s game — which they had Griffin sign.
“We’re all here for a positive message,” Rebecca said. “You don’t see anyone upset when you’re here, doing things to support Pirates Charities.”
Greg and Bri Boerio of McCandless are veterans of the Pirates Charities Family Walk. The past three years, they’ve had team names and custom T-shirts, their latest being the Steel City Cone Brigade.
The Boerios, of McCandless, both work in education. Greg’s an administrator, Bri a counselor. They’re uniquely aware of the challenges schools face and what AHN Chill Mobile can do to support that.
Along with their sons, Andrew and Anthony, the Boerios are also huge Pirates fans who were thrilled to walk around the most beautiful ballpark in America the morning after a big win.
“This time of year, with summer almost here, when you’re getting out of the house first thing on a Saturday morning, it’s always a positive thing with the family,” Greg said. “If we can come here, support the Pirates and a great cause, be together and have a little bit of fun, it makes it all worth it.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.