FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (Oct. 14, 2017) - Over the past seven years, the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation have placed a strong emphasis on celebrating volunteerism and honored hundreds of volunteers in the process. Throughout the 2017 season, the foundation continues its mission of teaming with nonprofit organizations to educate fans about the need for volunteering, highlight deserving volunteers from across the region and seek to inspire Patriots fans to become lifelong volunteers.
Every week throughout the season, the Kraft family and the foundation present the "Patriots Difference Maker of the Week" award, which recognizes deserving volunteers who go above and beyond to support their local community and nonprofit organizations.
"So many nonprofit organizations rely on the work of volunteers," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "We encourage everyone to volunteer and like to highlight those who do the most to positively impact their communities. It's nice to give credit to those who are most deserving and to reward the nonprofits they represent."
Molly McGaffigan from Groton, Mass. was selected as a Patriots Difference Maker of the Week for his commitment to Ovations for the Cure of Ovarian Cancer.
Molly was a 16-year old, three sport high school athlete when she discovered that she had ovarian cancer. The doctors informed her that she had a foot long tumor growing inside of her and that surgery was immediately required to remove it. Molly was fortunate to have discovered it early on and since that discovery, she has made it her mission to spread awareness about ovarian cancer.
She gathered her Bishop Guertin High School lacrosse teammates and organized a "Teal the Field" game, to promote the importance of early detection. Molly also brought this tradition to Saint Anselm College as a way to help educate her peers about ovarian cancer. Over the past ten years, Molly has spoken to hundreds of high school and college students, sharing her story and promoting the various symptoms to girls her age.
She has been a key volunteer at Ovations for the Cure of Ovarian Cancer and has been steadfast in her commitment to inform others that cancer does not discriminate and women of all ages are at risk.
Molly will join 14 other outstanding volunteers for a special in-game ceremony at the Patriots Dec. 31 game against the New York Jets. She will also be featured in the Patriots Football Weekly newspaper, Patriots GameDay magazine and on www.patriots.com/community.
For more information about the Celebrate Volunteerism initiative, including pictures and videos of Patriots players giving back to the community, resources and information about volunteering, or the "Patriots Difference Maker of the Week" award, visit www.patriots.com/community.