Fielding Dreams
The Red Sox Foundation partners with Microsoft to help children and families realize their potential.
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| Meg Vaillancourt, Executive Director, Red Sox Foundation |
Nothing matches a World Series championship when it comes to facing challenges on the baseball diamond. But the game of life is a lot more challenging, especially for those who don’t have an equal opportunity to realize their potential. That’s why Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Larry Lucchino, and their partners are as determined to help at-risk children and families in New England as they are to win championships.
Shortly after they bought the franchise in 2002, the owners created the Red Sox Foundation. In just five years, it has become one of the largest team charities in Major League Baseball, donating more than US$20 million to nonprofit programs working to improve health and increase educational and recreational opportunities, especially for children in the Greater Boston area.
Four cornerstone programs anchor the foundation’s outreach:
| • | Building on a history of team support dating back to the early 1950s, the foundation and the team help raise millions of dollars for the Jimmy Fund and the lifesaving work of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. |
| • | Foundation support helped avert closure of the Dimock Center’s teen programs, which serve at-risk youth through after-school programs that include tutoring, computer instruction, career counseling and life skills classes. |
| • | Recognizing the positive impact that athletics can have on child development, the foundation supports youth baseball through the RBI and Rookie Leagues programs. |
| • | Each year, the foundation awards $10,000 college scholarships to 25 Red Sox Scholars, academically talented but economically disadvantaged students in the Boston public schools. |
To ensure that these programs have the most impact, the foundation partners with innovative businesses like Microsoft, which sponsors 12 young adults from City Year, the Boston-based youth service corps, to help staff the after-school programs at Dimock. The City Year team, known as the “MicroSox,” works with children from some of Boston’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods. And for the 25 Red Sox Scholars, Microsoft funds family memberships and hands-on workshops at the Boston Museum of Science. In their 6th grade year, each Scholar is also paired with a medical professional at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to learn more about various health professions.
With more than 550 employees in the Greater Boston area, Microsoft — like the Red Sox — understands that investing in people is what creates champions. That’s why Microsoft over the last five years has contributed $42 million in software and cash to Massachusetts nonprofits, with a special focus on helping people develop the skills needed for the global economy.
Building on the passion of loyal fans, our team’s on-field success, and partnerships with companies like Microsoft, the Red Sox Foundation is working to give children and families throughout the region a chance. Together, we can help make life’s playing field a little more even.
