Boston Celtics and Mass Mentoring Host Mentoring Night

Thursday, February 23, 2012 - Nearly 200 Massachusetts young people and their mentors received free tickets to a recent Boston Celtics basketball game for the second annual Mentoring Night at TD Garden, where fans also celebrated the Bill Russell Legacy Project.

 

The evening was made possible by the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation and the Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP), a member of MENTOR’s network of Mentoring Partnerships. In addition to seeing the game, mentees also participated in pre-game activities.

Celtics legend Bill Russell got a standing ovation as the crowd recognized him and the Bill Russell Legacy Project, which was established to commemorate his achievements on the court, as a national leader in human rights and his impact on youth mentoring. The Bill Russell Mentoring Grant Program invests in young people by awarding grants annually to local nonprofit organizations to help increase the number of children in Boston who have access to quality, structured, caring adult mentoring programs.

Russell, a MENTOR board member and host of the first MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge in 2011, said, “I am thrilled and thankful that the Celtics have embraced mentoring. Being captain of the Celtics is one of the things I am most proud of in my career, and mentoring has become my personal passion for many years. I am very proud to be a part of this program and to be able to help make a positive impact on children in Boston.”

“The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation prides itself on providing life enriching experiences to local children in need,” Boston Celtics Managing Partner and President of the Shamrock Foundation Stephen Pagliuca said. “The partnership with MMP on Mentoring Night at TD Garden and the Bill Russell Mentoring Grant Program allows us to work towards fulfilling this mission, while simultaneously raising awareness to the ever increasing struggles faced by youth throughout the local community.”

Also attending Mentoring Night at TD Garden were MENTOR’s Board Chairman Willem Kooyker and MENTOR’s CEO David Shapiro. “To be in the Garden as thousands appreciated the power of Bill’s catalytic leadership in sports and far beyond, the impact of mentoring and the leadership of a State Mentoring Partnership’s collaborative efforts with its providers, the Celtics and the City of Boston was exciting, and it captures the best in our ability to deliver for the next generation through mentoring,” Shapiro said.

For more information about Mass Mentoring Partnership, the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation and the Bill Russell Legacy Project, visit www.massmentors.org. For more information and resources on quality youth mentoring and MENTOR’s network of Mentoring Partnerships, go to www.mentoring.org.

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