July 29, 2004
Sports Radio WEEI and Jimmy Fund Radiothon team up with Red Sox and
NESN on August 27
BOSTON – Calling all Boston sports fans. Sports Radio 850 WEEI, together with the Boston Red Sox and New England Sports Network (NESN), is hosting an all-day, all-star event, the 3rd Annual WEEI Jimmy Fund Radiothon on Friday, Aug. 27, all to benefit the Jimmy Fund.
Two special events at Fenway's .406 Club and a live radiothon on WEEI, plus a day-long broadcast on NESN, have been scheduled to both highlight New England's great Major League sports teams—the Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and Boston Bruins—and entertain while raising funds for cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.
WEEI morning co-hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan will moderate a special question-and-answer "How to Build a Champion" session over breakfast with New England's top general managers from 8 to 9:30 a.m. The panel includes Theo Epstein, general manager of the Red Sox; Scott Pioli, New England Patriots vice president of Player Operations; Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics executive director of Basketball Operations, and Mike O'Connell, vice president and general manager of the Boston Bruins.
From noon to 2:30 p.m., "A Bird's Eye View of Fenway" will feature a panel discussion with current Red Sox players and WEEI personalities Dale Arnold and Bob Neumeier. The event will include an "insider's" tour of historic Fenway Park, including the famed Green Monster, and a chance to hobnob with several of this year's players.
Admission to these once-in-a-lifetime events is $150 for the breakfast, which benefits the Jimmy Fund, and $200 for the lunch, which will benefit the Red Sox Foundation. Or, sign up for a "Double Header" for $300 per person and attend both the morning and lunchtime events. Those interested in attending may also contact Jenn Capshaw at (617) 632-3861 or JimmyFundRadiothon@dfci.harvard.edu.
"This has become the station's signature fundraising event and our listeners now look forward to it every year," said Jason Wolfe, WEEI director of Programming and Operations. "Over the past two years, we've raised nearly $1.5 million for the Jimmy Fund through the generous outpouring of support from listeners, the business community, our sports teams, and local and national celebrities. Our goal is to raise a minimum of a million dollars this year alone and we're confident that we can surpass that goal."
"NESN is proud to be the presenting sponsor for this great event in support of the Jimmy Fund," said Bill Borson, NESN's vice president of Programming and Production. "Our plan is to provide viewers continuous coverage with a rotation of hosts to include Tom Caron, Don Orsillo, and Dale Arnold. Our coverage will include Jimmy Fund/Dana Farber special features throughout the day, as well as complete coverage on our Red Sox pre and post game shows."
Whether you attend the day's events or not, be sure to tune into WEEI or NESN on Friday, Aug. 27, from 6 a.m. to midnight to raise funds for the Jimmy Fund. Pledges will be taken over the phone at (877) 738-1234. Throughout the day, announcers will be interviewing past and present sports stars and several Hollywood celebrities including Donald Trump, Michael J. Fox, and other surprise guests. Viewers and listeners will also meet some other important, but much lesser known "celebrities" — Jimmy Fund Clinic patients and the doctors and nurses who treat them and search for cures.
"It's a truly great day for the Jimmy Fund," added Mike Andrews, chairman of the Jimmy Fund and well-known '67 Red Sox second baseman. "We are thankful for the amazing support of WEEI, NESN, the Red Sox, and all of the celebrities who take the time to appear or call in, and we especially appreciate the thousands of caring people who are listening or watching the show and then call in their pledges. They are all helping to strike out cancer."
Founded in 1948 to raise funds for patient care and the fight against children's cancer, the Jimmy Fund supports the search for new cancer treatments and cures for both adults and children at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Ranked as the top cancer hospital in New England, Dana-Farber is recognized by the National Cancer Institute as one of the world's leaders in cancer care and research. Through its support of the Jimmy Fund, the Boston Red Sox - its players, its management, its ownership, and its many fans – have contributed mightily to save lives, find cures, and dramatically change the quality of life for those facing cancer in New England and around the world.
