The Boston Red Sox and Red Sox Foundation will introduce the Red Sox Scholars Class of 2016 this Sunday, June 5, at Fenway Park in a ceremony before the 1:35 p.m. Red Sox-Blue Jays game. Now in its 14th year, the Red Sox Scholars Program is presented by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the Official Hospital of the Boston Red Sox, and sponsor of the program since its inception in 2003. 
 
In addition to the 12 new scholars, the induction will celebrate members of the program who are graduating high school and college. Scholars from each of the previous 13 years will also be in attendance.
 
The Red Sox Scholars program provides college scholarships to academically talented, financially challenged Boston middle schoolers. It earned Major League Baseball's first-ever "Commissioner's Award for Philanthropic Excellence" in 2010.
 
This year's induction of 7th graders brings the total number of inductees to 262. The Red Sox Foundation will provide the students with scholarships of $10,000, plus mentoring, career programming, summer enrichment activities, and guidance with the college application process.
 
"As we introduce the newest class of Red Sox Scholars, we also celebrate the program's most recent class of high school and college graduates," said Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner. "All 38 Scholars graduating from high school this year plan to attend college in the fall, and we now know, after a thorough review, that the program has contributed to their academic success in secondary school, helped keep them on the path to college, and increased the likelihood that they enroll in college. It has been remarkable to see the evolution of these talented students over the past 14 years, and we look forward to witnessing their continued achievements in the next phase of their lives."
 
In the ceremony, set to begin at 1 p.m., each new scholar will be escorted onto the field by a Red Sox player. Joining them will be BIDMC health professionals, who serve as "Medical Champions" and host a "Shadow Day" to introduce students to the health professions.
 
"All of us at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are proud to have been part of the Red Sox Scholars Program from the very beginning," said BIDMC President and CEO Kevin Tabb, MD. "These talented students have bright futures, and we are eager to share with them the many opportunities that exist in health care. Our partnership with the Red Sox on this program reflects our shared commitment to supporting promising young people in our community." Red Sox Scholars will also sing both the Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America.  
 
Applications to the program are open to Boston Public School and Boston Public Charter School students. In addition, the Red Sox Scholars program receives funding from Aramark, Biogen Foundation, the Highland Street Foundation, the Learning By Giving Foundation, the Peter and Carolyn Lynch Foundation, Pitching in for Kids, the Sunshine Lady Foundation, Target, and the Tiger Woods Foundation, as well as by Red Sox Foundation fundraising events.