Last night was the 6th annual Beckett Bowl to raise funds and awareness for the Boston Children’s Hospital. I’ve been lucky enough to go the past couple of years and it is always an amazing event. There were tons of Sox players who supported Josh and the foundation by coming out and bowling at the event. Some of the players in attendance last night were John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, Aaron Cook, Franklin Morales, Andrew Miller, Craig Breslow, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, Cody Ross, Nick Punto, Mike Aviles, Jacoby Ellsbury, Scott Atchison, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway. I am sure there were some other players who I either missed or forgot. It was definitely the place to be last night. The event also had Patriots running back Kevin Faulk and Boston Bruins Shawn Thorton. As the night wore on, I even saw Angels pitcher Jered Weaver at the event to support the foundation and to hang out with former teammate John Lackey.
However, to me the true stars of the night are the kids from the Boston Children’s Hospital. They are constantly present on the red carpet as the players are arriving. Not only are they absolutely adorable and charming children, but they also keep the main point of the event present in the forefront. Isabella, age 13, has been at Beckett Bowl since 2008 and it is amazing to see what a spectacular young woman she is growing up to be. Phoebe, age 5, constantly stole the show as one of the most charming children I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. At one point, she was playing catch on the red carpet with John Lackey. Nick, age 9, spoke later in the evening about his experiences at the Boston Children’s Hospital and how being a part of the Josh Beckett Foundation has helped him. I was a weepy mess listening to him talk. It’s amazing the amount of perspective and humor that Nick had. He spoke about how the foundation helped him and brought some joy and fun into an experience that is often painful and scary. He also talked about how the foundation helped his family deal with the fact that he was in the middle of a fight against cancer. I was amazed with everything that he had to say. And, my heart broke a little bit every single time Nick said the word cancer with a slight lisp. It just seems to wrong and unfair that someone so young has to face that kind of battle. It also made me incredibly grateful that there are organizations like the Josh Beckett Foundation and hospitals like the Boston Children’s Hospital.
(Josh Beckett with Isabella, Phoebe and Nick at the event last night) 8/20/12
The Beckett Foundation announced last night that since its inception in 2007 that they have raised over a million dollars in support of the Boston Children’s Hospital. That is just spectacular. The event had a live and silent auction last night as well, so that number is just continuing to grow. It was also great to see many of Josh’s teammates be generous with auction items and their wallets last night as well.
It was a great night for all those who attended! If you ever get the chance to go, I would highly recommend it. I took a bunch of pictures at the event, so check them out here, here and here.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
