The Patriots Celebrate Volunteerism

The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation launched the season-long initiative "Celebrate Volunteerism" at the 2011 season-opener. With a special focus on volunteerism, the Kraft family and the Foundation honored Myra Kraft's lifetime commitment to philanthropy and charitable service through the campaign.

Each week throughout the season the Foundation focused on different volunteer areas, with the goal of sharing examples of dedicated volunteers, building awareness of the need for volunteering, identifying and educating others about volunteer opportunities and inspiring New Englanders to follow Myra Kraft's example of becoming a life-long volunteer.

Additional volunteerism activities included player appearances as part of Patriots Community Tuesdays, and the announcement of the "Patriots Difference Maker of the Week" award, which aimed to recognize deserving volunteers on www.patriots.com/community and in Patriots Football Weekly.

The Celebrate Volunteerism campaign also encouraged fans to personally go out into the community and make a difference by pledging volunteer hours.

On August 30 at the annual Kickoff Gala, the Kraft family and Foundation announced the renaming of the Community MVP Awards program to the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards.

Patriots Charitable Foundation "Celebrate Volunteerism" 2011 Week-by-week recaps:

Week	Volunteerism Weekly Focus
September 18	Education Volunteerism
September 25	Mentoring Volunteerism
October 2	Youth Volunteerism
October 9	Service Projects Volunteerism
October 16	Healthy Eating & Nutrition Volunteerism
October 23	Violence Prevention & Bullying Awareness Volunteerism
October 30	Public Service Volunteerism
November 6	Military & Veterans Volunteerism
November 13	Youth Sports Volunteerism
November 20	Hunger Awareness Volunteerism
November 27	Healthcare Volunteerism
December 4	Exercise & Fitness Volunteerism
December 11	Homelessness Volunteerism
December 18	Holiday Giving Volunteerism
December 25	Senior Advocate Volunteerism
January 1, 2012	New Year's Volunteerism Celebration

The Patriots celebrate the season-long "Celebrate Volunteerism" campaign!

Though the spirit of volunteerism will continue beyond the 2011 football season in honor of the philanthropic life of Myra Kraft, the Kraft family and Patriots Charitable Foundation celebrated the 2011 season-long "Celebrate Volunteerism" campaign in a special halftime ceremony at the final Patriots home game on January 1, 2012 at Gillette Stadium.