News & Notes About the A's Upcoming Homestand

Beginning this Friday, the Oakland A's close out the month of April with a six-game homestand against a pair of American League West foes, the Houston Astros (April 24-26) and the Los Angeles Angels (April 28-30).

The upstart Astros bring a lineup featuring reigning American League batting champion Jose Altuve and former A's sluggers Chris Carter and Jed Lowrie. Beginning Tuesday, April 28, the Los Angeles Angels-led by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols-make their first of three visits to the Coliseum this season for a three-game series.

Promotions and giveaways for this homestand include the first-ever A-moji T-Shirt Giveaway presented by Grant Thornton LLP (April 25, 20,000 fans) and Scout Day (special ticket required) on April 26.

**For additional information about all promotions and special events, please visit http://www.athletics.com/promotions

Promotions & Special Events

A-moji T-Shirt Giveaway presented by Grant Thornton LLP: On Saturday, April 25, 20,000 fans will go home with an "A-moji" T-Shirt, presented by Grant Thornton LLP. This unique shirt depicts Sonny Gray, Sean Doolittle and Coco Crisp in their "emoji" forms.

BART service disruption: On Sunday, April 26, there will be a BART service disruption between the Fruitvale and Coliseum stations. Fans that are planning to come to Sunday's game via BART, be advised that there will be no service between Fruitvale and Coliseum stations. Fans coming to the game from the north will be able to board a bus from Fruitvale station to the Coliseum stop to get you to and from the game. Please plan your arrival and expect delays of up to 60 minutes.

Scout Day: Sunday April 26 is the A's annual Scout Day, which features a pregame festival and on-field parade. In addition, all uniformed Scouts and leaders will receive a commemorative Scout Day patch. Note: this event requires a special ticket to participate and receive a patch.

Bishop O'Dowd State Champions Honored: On Tuesday, April 28, the A's will host the state champion boys and girls basketball teams from Bishop O'Dowd High School. Both teams will be honored on the field before the game, and head coaches Lou Richie and Malik McCord will throw out the ceremonial first pitches.

Community Relations

Green Stampede Homework Club: On select games throughout the season, elementary school students will visit O.co Coliseum to receive help with their homework from tutors and aids. An A's player will visit and sign autographs for the students as a way to congratulate them for their hard work. After the students have finished their homework, they are able to sit in the stands and watch the game.

A's Community Fund Silent Auctions: Every Saturday and Sunday home game (and other select games), the A's Community Fund hosts a silent auction featuring signed and unsigned A's memorabilia as well as game-used items. The silent auctions are located in the A's fan center behind section 120 and end with the last out in the bottom of the 5^th inning.

Little A's: On Saturday, April 25, as part of the Little A's program, deserving youth and their chaperones of non-profit organizations will have the opportunity to attend an A's game free of charge. In addition to a game ticket, each child receives a Bank of America souvenir and child-admission pass to the Oakland Zoo. The Little A's program is presented by Bank of America and supported by the Oakland Zoo and Clorox.

UMPS Care: Prior to the game on Saturday, April 25, participants in the UMPS Care program will receive great seats to the game, a goody bag of "all things baseball," and the unique opportunity to step onto the field for a photo opportunity with the umpiring crew from that night's game.

A's Amigos: The A's Amigos program gives our community's bilingual Spanish speaking children of non-profit organizations the opportunity to interact with bilingual speaking A's players. Participants are able to learn about the value of sportsmanship and hard work from their role models. In addition to the pre-game chat, each child receives a game ticket and an A's cap. A's Amigos is sponsored by Kelly-Moore Paints.

Take the Field with the A's: The Take the Field with the A's program gives youth baseball and softball teams the chance to live out their Major League dreams. On Sunday, April 28, youth players from a local you baseball or softball team will join Oakland A's players on the field during the National Anthem. Each participant receives an autographed baseball and t-shirt, courtesy of Wells Fargo.

Energize Your Field: On Tuesday, April 28, baseball players from Hayward High School will be attending the game and watching the A's take batting practice from the field. Earlier this year, the A's renovated the school's baseball field through the Energize Your Field program, sponsored by PG&E and the Good Tidings Foundation.

Food Bank Wednesdays: On Wednesday, April 29-and select Wednesdays throughout the season-A's players' wives and girlfriends will be on-site to help collect cans of food and monetary donations and distribute ticket vouchers for future games and player cards. 

"School of Imagination" Visit: This season, Stephen Vogt has partnered with Dublin's School of Imagination for special needs children. Throughout the season-beginning with his first visit on Wednesday, April 29-Vogt will visit the school to assist with projects, interact with students, and invite them to A's games.

"A It Forward" presented by PG&E: The "A It Forward" program, sponsored by PG&E, incorporates a surprise element at the game to make the experience more special for the children and their families. "A It Forward" will host a group of children on Thursday, April 30. 

Home Run Readers: On Thursday, April 30, more than 4,500 students from local schools will receive tickets to the 12:35 p.m. game as a reward for achieving their reading goals set by their teachers. The tickets are courtesy of the A's Community Fund and Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids.