News

Jun 8, 2017

Red Sox Scholars Class of 2017 to be Inducted Sunday

For Immediate Release

June 8, 2017

 

RED SOX SCHOLARS CLASS OF 2017 TO BE INDUCTED SUNDAY

Grant From Doris Buffett’s Letters Foundation Funds Two Additional Scholars for Next Five Years

 

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox and Red Sox Foundation will introduce the Red Sox Scholars class of 2017 this Sunday, June 11, at Fenway Park in ceremonies preceding the 8:05 p.m. Red Sox-Tigers game. The program promises college scholarships to academically talented Boston students who are selected in 7th grade, and is presented by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the Official Hospital of the Boston Red Sox – a sponsor of the program since its inception in 2003.

This year’s class of inductees includes the addition of two new Scholars made possible by a grant from Doris Buffett’s Letters Foundation. The grant funds two “Sunshine Scholars” for the next five years, bringing the total number of new scholarships each year to 12, up from 10 previously.

“The Red Sox Scholars Program has helped fund the dreams of hundreds of Boston students, and we are thankful for the generous support of the Letters Foundation whose grant allows us to help more students navigate the path from middle school to high school and college,” said Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner. “We are consistently inspired by the talent, energy, and commitment of the hundreds of students who have been part of this special educational program, and look forward to celebrating all of our scholars at Fenway Park this Sunday.”

“The Letters Foundation is incredibly proud to support the Red Sox Scholars Program,” said Alex Buffett Rozek, Chair of the Letters Foundation Board and grandson of Doris Buffett. “My grandmother was so inspired by the young people she got to know during the Red Sox Scholars interviews that she was moved to expand the program to more students.

“She has interacted with thousands of organizations over her years of philanthropic work and believes that John and Linda Henry, as well as Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner and the staff at the Red Sox Foundation, exemplify the best of what can be achieved when good people work together towards a clear and common goal. The Red Sox Scholars Program’s focus on embracing each individual students’ needs parallels her work at the Letters Foundation. This approach, paired with access to a high-quality education, is critical to making sure that all young people have the tools they need to succeed.”

In addition to the 12 new scholars, Sunday’s induction ceremony will also celebrate members of the program who are graduating high school and college. Scholars from each of the previous 14 years will also be in attendance.

Now in its 15th year, the Red Sox Scholars Program earned Major League Baseball’s first-ever “Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence” in 2010. This year’s induction of 7th graders brings the total number of inductees to 274.  The Red Sox Foundation provides each student with a scholarship of $10,000 upon matriculation, and while the student is in middle school and high school, the program provides mentoring, career programming, summer enrichment activities, and guidance with the college application process.

During Sunday’s induction ceremony, each new scholar will be escorted onto the field by a Red Sox player. Joining them will be BIDMC health professionals, who serve as “Medical Champions” and host a “Shadow Day” to introduce the students to various health professions.

“These inspiring students have very bright futures, and we are excited to support them and to share with them the many opportunities that exist in health care,” said BIDMC CEO Kevin Tabb, MD. “Everyone at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is proud to have been a part of the Red Sox Scholars Program from the very beginning. Partnering with the Red Sox on this special program reflects our shared commitment to supporting promising young people in our community.”

Applications to the program are open to Boston Public Schools and Boston Public Charter School students. The Red Sox Scholars program receives funding from Aramark, Biogen Foundation, Citgo, the Highland Street Foundation, the Letters Foundation, the Peter and Carolyn Lynch Foundation, and Red Sox Foundation fundraising events.

Biographies of the newest Red Sox Scholars are attached.

 

About the Red Sox Foundation

The official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation has distributed over $96 million for charitable operations and 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, visit redsoxfoundation.org.

 

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding.

BIDMC is in the community with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, MetroWest Medical Center, Signature Healthcare, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.

 

About the Letters Foundation

The Letters Foundation helps stabilize individuals and families by providing a hand-up when there’s nowhere else to turn. Started by Warren and Doris Buffett, the Foundation reads and replies to letters from individuals across the US who are experiencing a crisis and for whom no other resource exists. These one-time grants aim to honor the dignity individualist of each clients’ situation and the Foundation works side-by-side with individuals and families to resolve issues that are in the way of their health, housing, education, work, and other humanitarian goals.

Doris Buffett’s life-long commitment to investing in individuals and her kind but practical approach to problem solving in each unique situation remains at the heart of the Foundation’s efforts. For more information, please visit www.letters.foundation.

 

–RED SOX–

 

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