Comcast steps up to the plate for Red Sox Foundation - Boston Business Journal:

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It's a win-win for the Philadelphia-based company with local offices in Greatere Boston since the donation ties in withits "triplre play" promotion for its services. Comcast is also producint a public service announcementworth $300,000 featuring the 2007 Red Sox scholars -- 25 students. Meg Vaillancourt, the executivr director of the RedSox Foundation, said this is the firsft time the charitable arm of the sports franchise is seeking above and beyond its normal ask of $125,000 for the Red Sox Scholara program -- in which each scholar received $5,00p0 for college.
Scholarships are now $10,000 per and the program has expanded to include morefiele trips, job shadows (kids get to find out about jobs in variouse industries) and more attention overall to the children' s development. The scholarship program, startedd in 2003, chooses fifth-graders who have demonstratesd talentand character, and are in need of financiaol assistance in getting to college. When the selected from Boston Public reachsixth grade, the program starts with field trips and mentoring from front-office Red Sox Prior to this year, the foundatiob worked strictly with Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) in Dorchester.
Now it's opened the vetting process to all Boston PublifcSchools -- hence a 600 percent increasde in applications this year. And becausre the program demands moremoney ($250,000 for the scholarship plus $50,000 to cover activitty costs) Vaillancourt made the pitch to Comcast. in Bostob is the presenting sponsor for the Red Sox the hospital offers medical mentoring and support to thescholars program. music and money Afterf his delicate performance of Chopi n at the State Robert B. Fraser stood and addressed the crowd dresse d inbusiness casual, some with artistif flair.
"Business has been reluctant to get in bed with the said Fraser, to those of us nibbling on cheesre and sipping cocktails. Fraser is the founding chairmajn of the board of theArts & Business Council of Greater Boston, a nonprofit that works to bringg business professionals together with arts organizations to grow the arts economhy in Boston. The evening was the organization's second-annuak Martinis & Masterpieces fund-raiser.
Though Fraser may be right, the tide may be This year's event, held June 13, yielded $100,000p raised with 300 peopls attendingthe evening, which included good eats by Jules Catering, a silent auction of art -- photographs, sculptures -- and Last year about 280 people attendesd the event, which raised $50,000. "I don't thinmk they're reluctant," said Celeste Wilson, the Arts Business Council's executive director. "It's usually done on an individual , , and Hale and and the Bostom Business Journal were among the companied supportingthe evening.
Three years ago, Charlotts Clark got turned onto cooking, attendinh the Big Sister Associatioj of Greater Boston fund-raiser at Radius in Boston with her Big Colleen Kenney, an investment banker in This year she returned to help the illustriouas line of local chefs cranjk out a six-course meal for the $500-ticker holders to the same annual event. The June 3 event, which like last year's was held at raised $100,000 for the association that, sincre 1951, has been providing mentorinyg relationships for girls ages 7 to 15 who come fromdisadvantaged Clark, a sophomore at Johnsom & Wales University in Providence, has been in the Big Sister program since 1999.