2014 WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon presented by Arbella Insurance Foundation raises more than $3.3 million

More than $37 million raised in 13 years for adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

September 09, 2014

Pictured from left to right: Thomas C. Werner, Chairman, Boston Red Sox; Phil Zachary, Vice President/Market Manager at Entercom; Kevin Graham, WEEI Brand Manager; Joe Zarbano, WEEI Executive Producer; Sean McGrail, NESN President and CEO; Bev Tangvik, assistant vice president and director of charitable giving at Arbella Insurance Group; and Suzanne Fountain, director of the Jimmy Fund.

WEEI Sports Radio 93.7 FM, NESN (New England Sports Network), the Boston Red Sox, and the Jimmy Fund are proud to announce that the 2014 WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon presented by Arbella Insurance Foundation raised more than $3.3 million for adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The inspiring two-day event featuring personal stories from patients and Dana-Farber care providers and researchers has raised more than $37 million since its inception in 2002.

The event was broadcast live from Fenway Park on Tuesday, August 19 and Wednesday, August 20, from 6 a.m. to midnight. This year’s WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon featured moving, emotional interviews with Dana-Farber patients about their experience with cancer, and insight from the doctors and nurses who have treated them. The event included commentary from several Red Sox players including David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and 2014 Jimmy Fund Co-Captains Will Middlebrooks and David Ross.

A group of Red Sox players’ wives also volunteered at the event by answering phones to accept contributions on the evening of August 19, and by taking part in canister collections on August 20. Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino, who is a former Dana-Farber patient, spoke about his treatment and the important relationship between the Red Sox and Jimmy Fund — one of the most remarkable partnerships between a team and a charity in the history of professional sports.

Throughout the event, celebrities including actor Michael Chiklis, Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, Boston Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, and former Bruins forward Shawn Thornton, appeared or phoned-in to lend their support on air.

"The WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon presented by Arbella Insurance Foundation enables New Englanders to hear the voices and see the faces of these brave patients and their families," said Phil Zachary, Vice President/Market Manager at Entercom. "As broadcasters, it's our privilege to help tell their remarkable stories of courage and hope."

"The outpouring of support throughout the country during the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon has once again been incredible," said Sean McGrail, NESN's President and CEO. "The captivating stories shared by Dana Farber's patients and staff remind us all about the difference the Jimmy Fund makes in the lives of our friends and neighbors who are battling cancer. It's a privilege to support the great people at Dana-Farber as they continue to make great progress in the fight against cancer."

During both nights of the event, the Red Sox orchestrated special on-field ceremonies at Fenway Park prior to the start of each game against the Los Angeles Angels. On the evening of August 19, the 2014 Boston Red Sox Jimmy Fund Award was presented to Quincy-based Granite Telecommunications and the company's President and CEO Robert Hale, Jr., and his mother, Judy, co-founder of the company and a Dana-Farber Trustee. Red Sox broadcaster and long-time Jimmy Fund supporter Joe Castiglione threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Boston singer and songwriter Jillian Jensen, who appeared on X Factor in 2012 and American Idol earlier this year, sang the National Anthem before the start of the game.

On August 20, Lisa and Joshua Robert, a mother and son from Hudson, NH, who were both treated at Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund Clinic as children, threw out the first pitch. This was Lisa Robert’s second time on the mound after throwing out the first pitch at the Red Sox home opener in 1976 to catcher Carlton Fisk when she was a young Jimmy Fund Clinic patient.

New England teenagers with a connection to the Jimmy Fund also performed during both games. On August 19, Talia Quagliaroli, 14, of Wethersfield, CT, sang God Bless America during the game. Her brother, Luciano, was a patient at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. On August 20, Sarah Coelho, 15, of Winthrop, who was also treated at the Jimmy Fund Clinic as a young child, performed the song.

Dana-Farber pediatric and adult patients attended both games and took part in special on-field activities such as starting the game by exclaiming, "Play Ball," announcing batters, and dancing with “Wally” on the Red Sox dugout. The event served as the highlight of "Jimmy Fund Month at Fenway Park," which is held each August in support and recognition of the Jimmy Fund’s mission.

"I was honored to have the opportunity to meet so many Dana-Farber patients and their families at the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. Hearing their stories of hope and survival were inspirational to our entire team,” said 2014 Jimmy Fund Co-Captain and Red Sox catcher David Ross. "We thank Red Sox Nation and beyond for stepping up to the plate to help us strike out cancer," added Jimmy Fund Co-Captain and Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks.

"No relationship is more important to us than our 61-year partnership with the Jimmy Fund," said Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino. "We know where these dollars will go. We know how badly they are needed. And we know how touched we are to see the powerful response of Red Sox Nation as we unite to finally conquer this miserable disease."