On Wednesday November 28th, J.P. Marvel attended and supported The Sports Museum at its annual fundraiser, The Tradition. The Sports Museum is a non-profit educational institution that has served Boston and New England for the past 40 years. The museum is on the 5th and 6th levels of the TD Garden, and it has more than a half mile of exhibits celebrating sports in Boston and beyond.
While The Sports Museum is most closely associated with its Garden displays, its main mission is to use sports to teach values of leadership, respect, and corporation to youth in the community. In the past year The Sports Museum has over 20,000 students participate in three outreach programs. Among them are the “Boston vs. Bullies” educational program that leverages the power and example of Boston sports through videos and afterschool programs to combat bullying in schools and the community. Its “Stand Strong” program is a 12-week, interactive, character development program focusing on core values of teamwork, courage, fairness, determination, and responsibility. The Museum’s third program is its annual “Will McDonough writing contest”. The Tradition fundraiser helps support these valuable programs.
Each year at The Tradition, six athletes with ties to the New England area are honored. The evening begins with a gala reception for guests and honorees, who mingle on the Garden floor. The reception is followed by an interview-style awards ceremony: the two presenters join guest hosts and honorees to discuss the honorees’ careers and swap stories that the public may not have ever heard. In past years legends such as Bill Russell, Ted Williams, Pedro Martinez, Doug Flutie, Aly Raisman, Nancy Kerrigan, and Larry Bird have been acknowledged. This year over 1,400 people attended the 17th annual The Tradition, which was co-hosted by Tom Caron and Jackie MacMullan. This year’s honorees were Don Cherry (presented by Terry O’Reilly), Julie Foudy (Kristine Lilly), Richard Petty (Dick Berggren), Jim Lonborg (Jim Kaat), Deion Branch (Troy Brown), and Paul Pierce (Kendrick Perkins). This blockbuster group of sports icons and personalities provided entertainment for the evening’s attendees. J.P. Marvel was happy to attend this great event and support a wonderful organization.
Pictured above (L to R): Robert T. Stephenson, Director of Research of J.P. Marvel Wealth Management; Russell Sullivan, Executive Director of The Sports Museum; and guests of J.P. Marvel