18 Non-Profits Win Red Sox Grants Addressing Mental Health in New England

July 23, 2021

IMPACT Awards, presented by the Red Sox Foundation and the Ruderman Family Foundation, support organizations raising awareness and improving outcomes surrounding mental health.

BOSTON, MA, July 23, 2021 — The Red Sox Foundation and the Ruderman Family Foundation on Thursday night honored 18 non-profits across six states in New England as the winners of the foundations’ 7th Annual IMPACT Awards, which this year focused on supporting organizations whose mission includes raising awareness on the issue of mental health and improving mental health outcomes of young adults in their community.

The IMPACT Awards give Red Sox fans the opportunity to nominate their favorite non-profits to receive support and funding. Through a $125,000 grant from the Ruderman Family Foundation, the awards provide the winning non-profits with either a first-place $10,000 grant, second-place $3,000 grant, or a third-place $2,000 grant. Eligible organizations with the most online votes from fans were the designated winners, with three non-profits selected from each New England state. The 2021 winners were as follows:

• Connecticut: Special Olympics Connecticut (first place); Andover, Hebron, Marlborough Youth and Family Services (second place); Mental Health Connecticut (third place)
• Maine: The Center for Grieving Children (first place); NAMI Maine (second place); Acadia Hospital (third place)
• Massachusetts: Boston Community Pediatrics (first place); Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (second place); SHINE Initiative (third place)
• New Hampshire: Boys & Girls Club of Manchester (first place); NAMI New Hampshire (second place); Monarch School of New England (third place)
• Rhode Island: St. Mary’s Home for Children (first place); FRIENDS WAY (second place); Newport Mental Health (third place)
• Vermont: Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports (first place); Camp Ta-Kum-Ta (second place); Turning Point Center of Addison County (third place)

The winners were recognized in a pregame ceremony at Fenway Park on Thursday, receiving their awards on the field alongside Ruderman Family Foundation President Jay Ruderman and Sharon Shapiro, Trustee and Community Liaison for the Foundation. With COVID-19 continuing to strain non-profits across New England, the awards supported the work of organizations that are addressing the pandemic’s vast effect on mental health.

“We are pleased to offer our heartfelt congratulations to this year’s IMPACT Awards winners, whose contributions and missions are essential in providing mental health services and raising awareness surrounding mental health at a time when those priorities are more crucial than ever,” Jay Ruderman said. “As the often-overlooked mental health consequences of the pandemic will carry long-term implications across society, we look forward to seeing these grant recipients put the funds to good use as they fill glaring gaps in mental health services and make much-needed progress toward eradicating the stigma associated with mental health issues.”

Red Sox fans had the opportunity to nominate a non-profit in the mental health space from May 10 – June 7. After the finalists were named on June 21, online voting took place until July 9.

“The Red Sox Foundation, in partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation, is deeply proud to recognize this year’s IMPACT Award recipients, all of which are dedicated to working tirelessly to raise awareness and strengthen mental health outcomes for young adults,” said Bekah Salwasser, Executive Vice President of Social Impact for the Boston Red Sox and Executive Director of the Red Sox Foundation. “As we continue our efforts to support the recovery and rebirth in our local communities, it’s an honor to work alongside the Ruderman Family Foundation and not only support each of these incredible organizations with a grant, but also leverage our brands to amplify their impact across all of Red Sox Nation.”

For a full list of winners, please see here: https://www.mlb.com/redsox/community/impact-awards 

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