May 1, 2006

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner April 11 at a subsidized senior housing development to announce the Red Sox Foundation’s donation of large screen televisions and expanded cable service at 18 low-income senior housing developments in Boston.

“The Red Sox hold a special place in the hearts of many Bostonians,” Menino said. “That’s why I’m proud to announce this partnership with the Red Sox Foundation that will make every Red Sox game available to over 3,000 low income seniors who otherwise might not be able to watch the ball games.”

The Red Sox Foundation, the official team charity, donated 42-inch high definition televisions to the 18 sites and worked with Comcast to provide expanded cable service. Noting that this is the Henry/Werner ownership group’s 5th Home Opener since purchasing the team, Red Sox officials said the gift was a thank you to Boston for serving as the host city for the team. The donation comes just in time for the team’s 94th Home Opener at Fenway Park. Comcast Cable Communications is supplying the cable service free of charge.

“We wanted to recognize the city’s vital role as host to some three million fans who come to Boston each year to watch games or visit Fenway Park,” Werner said. “That’s a lot of people, traffic and off'season construction projects. So we thought the best way to say thank you was to focus on the city’s seniors, who know the value of hard work, patience and loyalty – but are still young at heart.”

All of the low-income sites are managed by Boston Housing Authority or subsidized by the federal Housing and Urban Development agency. The centers are located in diverse neighborhoods and were intended to provide access to the largest number of low-income seniors via community rooms. The event at the city-managed MLK Towers Senior Center in Roxbury also featured a display of the World Series trophy and Red Sox souvenirs for seniors in attendance.