On Thursday, June 6, the Kraft family and New England Patriots Foundation celebrated the 2024 Myra Kraft Community MVP Award Winners. They recognized 26 volunteers for their contributions to the New England community at an awards ceremony at Gillette Stadium. In total, $275,000 in donations were distributed to the nonprofits represented by each volunteer. Twenty-five organizations each received $10,000 and Ricky Inc. received this year’s grand prize of $25,000.
“Every year, nonprofit organizations across New England put forth candidates that demonstrate what volunteerism and giving back truly is and who represent the very best of our community,” Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said. “My late wife Myra, of blessed memory, was passionate about giving back and making a difference in people’s lives. I am proud to see her legacy of volunteerism upheld through these awards, celebrating those who selflessly serve their communities as true Community MVPs.”
Carol White, of Peabody, was recognized as one of this year’s honorees and presented with a $10,000 donation for Cycling Without Age.
The goal of Cycling Without Age is to get elderly people back on their bicycles, so they provide trishaws to local nursing homes — which are bikes with a seat in the front. White started the organization in March 2020, creating brochures and passing them out to explain their mission. She made a $5,000 donation of her own money to purchase a trishaw and get the program started in Massachusetts.
“My mission to bring a trishaw to every nursing home in Massachusetts started about four years ago,” said White. “I’ve always been a bike rider and after spending nearly four years visiting my mom every morning in a nursing facility, except for COVID when we were locked out, I knew I had to take on this task. My mom Lois has since passed without getting a ride, but I continue my efforts in her memory and named my first trishaw ‘The Loieee.’”
She gives seniors bike rides up and down the local bike path, connecting with them along the way. Being on a bike brings elderly people back to their youth and gets them outdoors for much needed fresh air. She has recruited others to be volunteer pilots and hopes that local youth will soon get trained to operate the trishaw to connect youth with seniors.
“My mom taught me at a very young age, ‘When you feel down/sad or just out of sorts, do something for someone else. Take the focus off you,’” White said. “Truth be told, I get so much joy out of giving rides and conversing with my passengers! The minute I get on my bike, I feel like a kid again and the fact that I get to pass that feeling on to those less fortunate than me because of physical and/or mental limitations is so rewarding.”
The 2024 Myra Kraft Community MVP winners range from 14 to 85 years old and represent four of the six New England states. The selected nonprofits provide support for many causes, including education, food insecurity, grief support, healthcare, homelessness, mental health, violence prevention, and more.
Since its inception, the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program has recognized more than 500 volunteers and donated more than $3.75 million to support nonprofit organizations across New England.
The Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation received close to 300 applications this year from nonprofit organizations looking to recognize their outstanding volunteers. Nominations open every February and the awards are open to all nonprofit organizations in the New England region.
For more information on the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards, please visit www.patriots.com/community.
