BOSTON, MA – The Red Sox Foundation and its programs and partners will be featured throughout Friday’s NESN game broadcast highlighting the non-profits work in the areas of health, education, and recreation throughout New England and in Southwest Florida. The broadcast will air in partnership with the MassMutual Foundation.

In addition to the NESN broadcast, the pregame ceremony before the Red Sox-Cardinals game will feature a ceremonial first pitch thrown by 6^th grade Boston Public Schools student AJ Washington who participated in the Foundation’s newest program, the Fenway Park Learning Lab, an immersive educational tour of Fenway Park for 6^th grade Boston Public Schools Students. He will be joined by Boston Red Sox and MassMutual executives, and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper.

EVP of Social Impact at the Red Sox and Executive Director of the Red Sox Foundation Bekah Salwasser will be a guest during the pregame show and in-game to showcase the many organizations the Foundation supports each year. Tom Caron will host the pregame show alongside former Red Sox and NESN analyst Will Middlebrooks. Tim Wakefield and Lou Merloni will provide color analysis in the booth with Dave O’Brien as play-by-play. Wakefield is the Honorary Chairman of the Red Sox Foundation. Jahmai Webster is the sideline reporter.

Red Sox Foundation support opportunities will be shared throughout the game, with three different ways for fans to engage: by purchasing 50/50 Raffle tickets at Fenway Park or online at redsox.com/5050 for Massachusetts residents over the age of 18 years old; by purchasing official Red Sox Foundation-branded merchandise, sold and manufactured by ’47 Brand, online at 47brand.com and at the Official Team Store at 19 Jersey Street; and by purchasing Red Sox charity license plates online at redsoxfoundation.org/plates.

Fans can watch the game on NESN on the NESN 360 app with a direct subscription or via their TV provider at no additional cost. Visit www.NESN360.com to learn more.

About the Red Sox Foundation

The official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation has awarded more than 5,000 grants since its creation in 2002 and focuses on making a difference in the lives of children, families, Veterans, and communities in need by improving their health, education, and recreational opportunities. Through partnerships with best-in-class organizations in healthcare, the Red Sox have helped raised over $162 million for cancer treatment and research for The Jimmy Fund, supported more than 30,000 Veterans and their families suffering from the “invisible wounds of war” with the Home Base Program, and helped the Dimock Center serve over 20,000 patients annually with health and human services. The Foundation’s self-run education and youth baseball programs have helped 349 Boston Public Schools students with college scholarships and promotes healthy choices and valuable life skills to more than 2,000 urban youth annually through its RBI baseball and softball program.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Red Sox Foundation raises funds through special events, corporate sponsorships, and grants. Founded and initially funded by Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Emeritus Larry Lucchino and their partners, the Red Sox Foundation has won numerous awards for the impact of its innovative programs. In 2010, the Foundation’s Red Sox Scholars program was recognized by Major League Baseball with the first-ever “MLB Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence.” In 2009, the Red Sox Foundation was honored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Sports Philanthropy Project with the Patterson Award as the nation’s “Best Team Charity in Sports.”  For more information about the foundation, visit redsoxfoundation.org.