Gwinnett Stripers honor frontline workers with new jerseys
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Over the past year, many organizations have been showing their appreciation for frontline workers. Now the Gwinnett Stripers are stepping to the plate with a fashionable tribute.
While the vaccine rollout brought sighs of relief and excitement that things are slowly getting back to the way they were, for healthcare workers and others on the frontlines, the work doesn't stop.
The Gwinnett Stripers will pay tribute to these workers during Friday's game against the Memphis Redbirds.
"We wanted to take the chance to say thank you to teachers, healthcare professionals, people that work in restaurants and grocery stores," the teams' assistant general manager Erin O'Donnell said. "That helped us get through this and keep going through everything."
The Stripers will be wearing special jerseys dedicated to frontline workers.
The team's tribute is embedded in the design.
"From far away it just looks like pinstripes, but when you get up close you realize it's everyone's name, and that's really how it connected to our community. From afar we got through it but up close you see the individuals who made this happen for us," O'Donnell said.
An online auction for the jerseys begins Thursday and the winners will be announced Friday at the game. Proceeds will benefit the Northside Gwinnett Foundation.
The Stripers say the jerseys symbolize those who helped keep everyone going during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"To actually put the names of people here in Gwinnett on our jerseys and show just how big of an impact that had for us here in the community," O'Donnell said.
More than 600 names submitted on the jersey alphabetically.
About 35 jerseys will be auctioned and given away after Friday's game. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
One jersey from the game is headed to Cooperstown, the Baseball Hall of Fame wants it as an example of baseball and global culture.
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