A's Spring Training tour part of charity auction items
SAN DIEGO -- For a third consecutive year, the A's are offering unique experiences to be auctioned online to help raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
These efforts are part of a league-wide initiative that was inspired by the numerous employees, friends and fans of the game who have been affected by cancer.
Funds raised from this year's auction will be donated to LUNGevity, the largest national lung cancer-focused nonprofit, in memory of Monica Barlow, the late Orioles public relations director who passed away because of lung cancer just this year.
The auction remains live on MLB.com through Thursday at 8 p.m. PT.
A's fans have the opportunity to bid on a behind-the-scenes tour of Spring Training. This experience includes a tour of the A's new Spring Training home, Hohokam Park, a backstage look at the A's Minor League Spring Training complex and a meeting with an A's player or coach on the field for playing tips, plus four tickets to a game. Travel and hotel expenses are not included.
The second experience up for grabs is the opportunity to be an A's intern for a day. The winner of this auction will shadow A's staffers from various departments, including public relations, marketing, stadium operations and ticket services, and receive four tickets to that day's game.
"LUNGevity, the Orioles and the Major League Baseball family were heartbroken to lose one of our own this year, but Monica Barlow's legacy will live on in the research that is funded and the new treatments that are being developed," said Andrea Ferris, president and chairman of LUNGevity Foundation. "We are honored that Major League Baseball has chosen LUNGevity Foundation as the beneficiary for the Winter Meetings philanthropic auction.
"One cannot underestimate the impact that MLB's support can have on lung cancer and we look forward to working closely with them and the 30 Clubs in the future. Their generosity and the generosity of those who support the auction will increase LUNGevity's ability to invest in innovative scientific research that has the potential to reshape outcomes for people living with lung cancer."