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WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon raises more than $3.3 million for cancer care and research at Dana-Farber

August 24, 2012

The 11th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon on August 21 and 22 raised more than $3.3 million to support adult and pediatric care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Contributions came in from all 50 states and around the world to help in the fight against cancer. The event has raised more than $31 million total since its inception in 2002.

“We are so grateful for the generous support we’ve received again this year from the community. All of the money contributed during the past two days will be critical in the fight against cancer and we are humbled by this outpouring of kindness,” said Suzanne Fountain, Director of the Jimmy Fund. “We are incredibly grateful to WEEI and NESN and the Boston Red Sox for standing with us each year and for sharing this event with so many of their listeners, viewers and fans in New England and across the country.”

The 36-hour Radio-Telethon broadcast on WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM Sports Radio Network and New England Sports Network (NESN) live from Fenway Park has become another summer tradition for the Jimmy Fund and the Red Sox. The event featured compelling interviews with Dana-Farber patients, researchers, doctors and staff and video vignettes. Several Red Sox players made on-air appearances, including Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz, Adrian Gonzalez, and Jimmy Fund Co-Captain Jarrod Saltalamacchia. On Wednesday, the entire Red Sox team dropped in to show their support for the Jimmy Fund and to meet with some patients.

The Red Sox named August Jimmy Fund month at Fenway Park, and the team continued to celebrate its 59-year relationship with the Jimmy Fund by holding on-field ceremonies before both games against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Prior to the start of the game on Tuesday, the Red Sox remembered Johnny Pesky, the beloved, former Red Sox player and a major Jimmy Fund supporter, who died at age 93 on August 13. Singers Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., of the 5th Dimension, sang the national anthem and a musical tribute to Pesky.

During the pre-game ceremony for Wednesday’s game, the first pitch was thrown out by Janet Schwartz and Melvin Perlmutter, the mother and grandfather of Todd Schwartz, a Jimmy Fund Clinic patient who passed away in 2002 at the age of 19.

"Each year the Radio-Telethon brings us stories of incredible courage and ground-breaking research that continue to show us why the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber are so special and this year was no exception," said Jason Wolfe, Vice President of Programming at WEEI. "These two days were as emotional as any we've experienced and we are so proud to have been a part of another huge success that will provide the necessary funds to bring new and better treatments to so many who need it."

"We continue to be inspired by the stories shared during the Radio-Telethon by the patients, families, nurses and doctors who have touched us all in a very special way," said Sean McGrail, NESN President and CEO. "The overwhelming donations will provide Dana-Farber Cancer Institute the additional resources necessary to research and develop a cure for so many in need."

A sampling of the major donors to the 2012 WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon includes:

AT&T $54,000
Charlie Jacobs Principal and Alternate Governor, Boston Bruins $25,000
Tim Wakefield $10,000
Steve Pagliuca, Co-Owner Boston Celtics $10,000
Bud Selig, Commissioner Major League Baseball $59,000
Papa Gino's Pizzeria and D'Angelo $250,000
Ira Motor Group $40,000
Pat Muraca and Nuclea Biotechnologies $100,000
Shaws Supermarkets $25,000
Arbella Insurance $50,000
Spartan Race $35,000
Sullivan Tire $20,000
Digital Federal Credit Union $25,000

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