OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland A’s and Major League Baseball are raising money to support the fight against ALS through the 2019 Winter Meetings Charity Auction. One of the organizations benefiting from the auction is ALS CURE Project, the Stephen Piscotty family nonprofit whose mission is to provide incentive-base grants toward one goal: a cure for ALS.

The Athletics are donating three experiences:

· Pregame Meet & Greet with Stephen Piscotty: Four tickets to an A’s game including four batting practice passes and the chance to chat with A’s outfielder and ALS research advocate Stephen Piscotty.

· Pregame Hitting Lesson with Ramón Laureano: Four tickets to an A’s game including four batting practice passes and a one-hour hitting lesson with A’s outfielder Ramón Laureano for a child between the ages of 8-18.

· Four Tickets to ALS Cure Golf Tournament: Join Stephen Piscotty and other MLB personalities for the annual golf tournament held by the Piscotty family’s nonprofit organization.

This annual online auction, which can be found at mlb.com/wintermeetingsauction, offers rare MLB items and experiences donated by MLB, MLB Network, all 30 MLB clubs, and others. This year, proceeds from these auctions will support five charities and nonprofit organizations committed to raising awareness, funding research, and providing the best possible care for both caregivers and patients of Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). In addition to ALS CURE Project, the beneficiaries are:

· Healey Center for ALS at Mass General – Focused on a worldwide effort to turn promising lab discoveries into life-saving therapies, clinical care for ALS patients, resources for families and caregivers, for people worldwide who are affected by ALS. Organization selected in support of John Carlin, producer for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! who has been supportive of baseball over the years and is living with ALS. Selection is also in support of the Frates Family and the late Pete Frates, who lost his brave battle with ALS today

· The ALS Association – Focusing on global research, care services and advocacy, The ALS Association has been MLB’s most consistent historical partner in the fight against ALS. Selection is also in support of efforts by Jacob Nottingham, catcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, who lost both his grandmother and aunt from ALS

· Project Main Street – Devoted to patient and family care, Project Main Street was selected in support of efforts by Jon Sciambi, a long-time advocate for the ALS cause and baseball broadcaster for ESPN.

· ALS Therapy Development Institute – Committed to discovering and developing effective treatments for ALS, the nonprofit biotech was selected in support of Sam Hilliard, outfielder in the Colorado Rockies organization, whose father was diagnosed with ALS in 2018. 

Other auction experiences from around baseball include meet and greets, lunch, and lessons from players, tickets to premier seating locations, golf with Hall of Famers, broadcast booth tours, behind-the-scenes tours, and more.

The A’s are committed to supporting the fight against ALS, hosting an annual ALS Awareness Day at the Oakland Coliseum with ticket and donation proceeds benefiting ALS research.