KRAFT FAMILY, PATRIOTS FOUNDATION AND GILLETTE DONATE $275,000 IN THE NAMES OF 2023 MYRA KRAFT COMMUNITY MVP AWARD WINNERS
Twenty-six volunteers were recognized during an awards luncheon at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, June 8
Tom Richissin of Reading, Massachusetts, presented with $10,000 donation for National Braille Press.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For the past 25 years, the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation have been recognizing volunteers for going above and beyond to give back to their communities through the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program. Formerly known as the Community Quarterback Awards, this volunteer recognition was renamed in 2011 in memory of Myra Kraft.
On Thursday, June 8, 26 volunteers were recognized for their contributions at an awards ceremony at Gillette Stadium. In total, $275,000 in donations were distributed to the nonprofits represented by each volunteer. Twenty-five organizations each received $10,000 and the Brian Dagle Foundation received this year’s grand prize of $25,000.
“Hundreds of nonprofit organizations annually nominate candidates to be recognized and hearing the heartwarming stories of volunteerism restores faith in all humanity,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “Myra loved volunteering and positively impacting the lives of others. I am proud that we continue to honor her legacy of volunteerism in association with this award ceremony and love giving people who do so much for so many the recognition of being a Community MVP.”
Gillette, a longtime supporter of the New England Patriots and a cornerstone partner of the Patriots Foundation, served as the presenting sponsor for this year’s program. On hand to congratulate the award winners were President of Kraft Family Philanthropies Josh Kraft; Patriots, College and Pro Football Hall of Famer and Patriots Executive Director of Community Affairs Andre Tippett; and Procter & Gamble’s VP of Communications & Community Affairs, Global Grooming, Kara Buckley.
“Each year we have the privilege of reading hundreds of stories about volunteers who go above and beyond to build stronger New England communities,” said Josh Kraft. “This program is incredibly important to my family and we are honored to celebrate these remarkable individuals for their commitment to volunteerism. We are excited to once again partner with our good friends at Gillette for this year’s program.”
“We are proud to help recognize this incredible group of volunteers and the nonprofit organizations they serve, who all make a meaningful difference in our local community every day,” said John Claughton, Vice President, North America Gillette. “Their stories are powerful, and their contributions are immense, and we are thankful that the Kraft Family and the New England Patriots Foundation are giving them this very special award. Our brand has long championed the importance of positive role models and there is no better example than these Myra Kraft Community MVPs.”
Tom Richissin of Reading was recognized as one of this year’s honorees and presented with a $10,000 donation for National Braille Press.
Every year, National Braille Press serves more than 15,000 blind and visually impaired individuals through its collection of braille books. Since beginning with the nonprofit eleven years ago, Tom has raised enough money to purchase 1,300 braille children’s books. The cause is personal to him, as his daughter was born blind and learned to read braille at seven years old so she could participate in public schooling.
“I really appreciate this award and the commitment by the Patriots Foundation to give back to many great organizations,” said Tom.
Taking his commitment even further, Tom has assisted blind individuals as a runner sight guide in the Braille Across America race challenge and leads and recruits a team of volunteers for the event. Joe Quintanilla, who nominated Tom for the award is one of those runners.
“I see this really as a great recognition of Joe and National Braille Press along with the generosity of those who donated to an important cause that helps enrich the lives and opportunities of the blind community, including my daughter Ali, that it serves,” said Tom.
The 2023 Myra Kraft Community MVP winners range from 21 to 80 years old and represent every New England state. The selected nonprofits provide support for many causes, including education, domestic violence prevention, healthcare, homelessness, mentoring and military support.
Since its inception, the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program has recognized more than 475 volunteers and donated more than $3.5 million to support nonprofit organizations across New England.
The Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation received more than 350 applications this year from nonprofit organizations looking to recognize their outstanding volunteers. Nominations open every February and the awards are open to all nonprofit organizations in the New England region.
