Charity Events During Red Sox-Cubs Series Raise More Than $725,000 For Boston And Chicago Youth Scholarship Programs
Boston, MA – The Red Sox Foundation, Chicago Cubs Charities, and The Foundation To Be Named Later have raised over $725,000 to benefit scholarship programs for Boston and Chicago youth after a weekend of charitable events during the Red Sox-Cubs series at Fenway Park. The two teams partnered through their foundation’s for “Baseball Champions for Charity Weekend,” presented by Think Energy, and organized fundraising events and opportunities on each day of the three-game series taking place April 28 to April 30.
The weekend began with a reception and luncheon on Friday, April 28, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, featuring a panel of baseball legends including Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, Red Sox Hall of Fame catcher Jason Varitek, Red Sox/Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, and New York Yankees legend Bernie Williams discussing what it takes to build a championship team. MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons and NESN anchor Tom Caron moderated the panel.
Saturday night, a special Red Sox-Cubs edition of “Hot Stove Cool Music” took place at the Paradise Rock Club headlined by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, and featuring musical performances by Gammons, Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, Red Sox Baseball Operations V.P. Zack Scott, Cubs Broadcaster Len Kasper, and Chicago and Boston rockers: Paul Ahlstrand, Phil Aiken, Walt Bostian (The New England Brass), Dave Brophy, Chris Cote (The Upper Crust/Giant Kings), Max Crawford and Dag Juhlin (Poi Dog Pondering); Will Dailey, Jenny Dee (Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents), former Red Sox Pitcher Lenny DiNardo, Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood (Belly); Gerald Dowd (Robbie Fulks), Dean Falcone, Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo), Josh Kantor (Boston Red Sox Organist), Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom), Hilken Mancini and Chris Toppin (Fuzzy); Curt Morrison (Tributosaurus), Tom Polce, Freda Love Smith (Blake Babies), Matt Spiegel (Tributosaurus/Chicago radio host), John Stirratt (Wilco), Magen Tracy, Jen Trynin, Ed Valauskas (Gravel Pit), Latin Grammy Nominated jazz musician/former New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams and more.
Other special guests attending Saturday’s event included Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner, Red Sox President Sam Kennedy, Red Sox Vice President of Baseball Research & Development Zack Scott, Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney, Cubs Executive Vice President and General Manager Jed Hoyer, Cubs Manager Joe Maddon and Coach Brandon Hyde, Red Sox Manager John Farrell and coaching staff Ruben Amaro Jr., Brian Bannister, Chili Davis, Gary DiSarcina, Dana LeVangie, Victor Rodriguez and Carl Willis; Red Sox players Fernando Abad, Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Chase d’Arnaud, Heath Hembree, Marco Hernandez, Joe Kelly, Craig Kimbrel, Sandy Leon, Mitch Moreland, Dustin Pedroia, Drew Pomeranz, Rick Porcello, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Rutledge, Chris Sale, Robby Scott, Carson Smith, Ben Taylor, Tyler Thornburg, Christian Vazquez, Steven Wright and Chris Young; alumni Sean Casey, Ryan Dempster, Darnell McDonald, Cubs Special Assistant Kevin Youkilis, former Chicago Blackhawk Chris Chelios, sponsors including Paul Grogan of the Boston Foundation, Jim DeLong of Think Energy, Adam Speling of Hotel Commonwealth, Declan Mehigan of the Paradise Rock Club, and FTBNL Executive Director Allyce Najimy and Red Sox Foundation Executive Director Gena Borson.
The weekend concluded with a special photo opportunity for fans to take photos with the two “curse-breaking” World Series trophies during Sunday night’s game. A suggested donation of $20 was asked of fans taking photos.
###
About ENGIE Resources and Think Energy
ENGIE Resources, which rebranded in 2016, is the third-largest non-residential retail electricity supplier in the United States and currently serves commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in 14 markets: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington, D.C. The company serves nearly 90,000 accounts for customers having a peak demand ranging from 50 KW to more than 200 MW, with an estimated peak load totaling nearly 13,000 MW. For more about ENGIE Resources, visit www.engieresources.com or call 1-866-999-8374. Follow ENGIE Resources on Twitter and Facebook.
About the Red Sox Foundation
The official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation has distributed over $95 million to support programs serving children and families across New England. The Foundation’s efforts are primarily focused on five cornerstone programs: the Red Sox Scholars Program, which provides tutoring, mentoring, enrichment programs and a college scholarship to academically talented but economically disadvantaged Boston public school students; the Red Sox Foundation’s RBI and Rookie League youth baseball and softball programs serving more than 2,000 inner city teens each summer; the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat stress and traumatic brain injury; The Dimock Center in Roxbury, serving more than 80,000 low-income families in Boston’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods; and The Jimmy Fund, supporting breakthrough cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Red Sox Foundation raises funds through special events, corporate sponsorships, and grants. Founded and initially funded by Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Emeritus Larry Lucchino and their partners, the Red Sox Foundation has won numerous awards for the impact of its innovative programs. In 2010, the Foundation’s Red Sox Scholars program was recognized by Major League Baseball with the first-ever “MLB Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence.” In 2009, the Red Sox Foundation was honored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Sports Philanthropy Project with the Patterson Award as the nation’s “Best Team Charity in Sports.” For more information about the foundation, visitredsoxfoundation.org.
About Hot Stove Cool Music
Hot Stove Cool Music is a biannual charity concert and musical variety show held in Boston in the winter and in Chicago in the summer months, making its debut in Chicago in summer 2012. The event was created in December of 2000 by Hall of Fame baseball journalist Peter Gammons and former Boston Herald sports writer Jeff Horrigan. Over the past 17 years, Hot Stove Cool Music has become a staple on Boston’s entertainment calendar and has raised more than $9 million for Theo and Paul Epstein’s Foundation To Be Named Later, the Jimmy Fund and other beneficiaries.
About Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL)
Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL) was launched in 2005 by Paul Epstein, a social worker in Boston, MA area and his twin brother, former Boston Red Sox Executive Vice President/General Manager and current Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. The mission of FTBNL is to raise funds and awareness for nonprofit agencies, working on the front lines, serving youth and families from disadvantaged neighborhoods in Boston & Chicago. FTBNL invests in programs that teach leadership, education and healthy development of families.
Since inception, FTBNL has raised over $9 million and donated grants, scholarships, and in-kind donations to 301 non-profit organizations, 71 Peter Gammons College Scholars and has sent approximately 6,500 children, who would not otherwise get the chance to go to a game, to Cubs and Red Sox home games. The Peter Gammons/FTBNL College Scholarship is the signature program of FTBNL and has sent 71 young people with high financial needs and high educational potential to the college of their choice. Each Gammons Scholar also gets an adult mentor and a laptop computer to ensure college success. For more information on Foundation To Be Named Later programs and events, or to make a donation, please visit www.foundationtobenamedlater.org.
About Cubs Charities
Cubs Charities harnesses the passion of Cubs fans to improve the lives of children and families across Chicago and beyond. Cubs Charities’ goal is to provide increased access to sports opportunities and target improvements in health, fitness and education for those at risk. Through grants to quality nonprofit programs, development of parks and baseball fields, and other community initiatives, the Cubs and Cubs Charities help fulfill a commitment to be the best in the game, on and off the field. For more information, visit www.cubscharities.org.