Patriots Foundation Honors Watertown Man for Years of Giving Blind People Chance to Play Baseball

The following announcement was provided by the New England Patriots Foundation:

On Thursday, June 6, the Kraft Family and New England Patriots Foundation celebrated the 2024 Myra Kraft Community MVP Award Winners. They recognized 26 volunteers for their contributions to the New England community 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 Ricky, Inc. received this year’s grand prize of $25,000.

Since 1998, 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.

“Every year, nonprofit organizations across New England put forth candidates that demonstrate what volunteerism and giving back truly is and who represent the very best of our community,” said Robert Kraft, Chairman and CEO of the Patriots. “My late wife Myra, of blessed memory, was passionate about giving back and making a difference in people’s lives. I am proud to see her legacy of volunteerism upheld through these awards, celebrating those who selflessly serve their communities as true Community MVPs.”

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 the New England Patriots Foundation Josh Kraft; Patriots, College and Pro Football Hall of Famer and Patriots Executive Director of Community Affairs Andre Tippett; and Gillette’s VP of Communications & Community Affairs, Global Grooming, Kara Buckley.

“This program is incredibly important to our family, it’s one of our favorites that we do each year,” said Josh Kraft, President of the New England Patriots Foundation. “It is our honor to read hundreds of stories about volunteers who are committed to making their community a better place. We are privileged to once again partner with our good friends at Gillette to recognize these outstanding volunteers.”

“These 26 volunteers and the nonprofit organizations they support are making a profound impact within our local community,” said Kara Buckley, Vice President of Communications & Community Affairs at Gillette. “We are grateful to the Kraft Family and New England Patriots for recognizing them with this meaningful award. As a brand, we have long championed the significance of inspiring role models, and these Myra Kraft Community MVPs exemplify the very best of the best.”

Bryan Grillo of Watertown, Mass. was recognized as one of this year’s honorees and presented with a $10,000 donation for the Association of Blind Citizens Boston Renegades. Bryan has been a coach of the Boston Renegades for more than 20 years, helping give blind athletes an opportunity to play a team sport. He utilizes his paid time off to take the team to travel to tournaments each year and fundraises to be able to purchase adaptive equipment to ensure player safety. He leverages his career in public relations to help bring positive attention to the organization and raise awareness.

“I’m blessed to be a part of the Renegades family, and honored to accept the Myra Kraft Community MVP Award on behalf of all our volunteer coaches – past and present – whose passion and dedication helped establish a team culture that has transformed many lives,” said Bryan. “In addition to enjoying a highly competitive athletic outlet, Renegades players maintain active, healthy lifestyles, develop teamwork and physical skills, and achieve greater self-confidence that extends beyond the field. Players have learned to better advocate for themselves and have fostered a strong, supportive community where teammates help each other with assistive technology, career networking, housing and more.”

He volunteers more than 300 hours annually. Most importantly, he listens to people and is the first person to put his arm around someone to pick them up when they are struggling. He cares deeply about his players, taking the time to connect with each of them. Bryan is considered by many to be the heart and soul of the team.

“The sport of beep baseball is expensive and this grant will be tremendously helpful in offsetting specialized equipment costs and ever-increasing travel expenses,” said Bryan. “Thank you very much to the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation for recognizing our organization – from among many worthy charities – with this prestigious award and generous donation.”

The 2024 Myra Kraft Community MVP winners range from 14 to 85 years old and represent four of the six New England states. The selected nonprofits provide support for many causes, including education, food insecurity, grief support, healthcare, homelessness, mental health, violence prevention and more.

Since its inception, the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program has recognized more than 500 volunteers and donated more than $3.75 million to support nonprofit organizations across New England. The Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation received close to 300 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.

For more information on the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards, please visit www.patriots.com/community.