Family Photo- from the Newton Tab

UPDATE: The event was a success, and while I don’t have an official total, we expect the Sports-a-Thon raised an amount in the “five figures.” Thanks to you blog readers for your part in the effort. I plan to post a separate update in the near future.

I am writing this post to ask my friends- any and all, no matter where you live- to contribute to a family in desperate need. A family that has lost their father, and may lose their home.

Last week, my community (Newton, MA) was shocked to hear of the death of Jeff Beatrice at the age of 49.  I had the pleasure of knowing Jeff as the coach for my son in Little League- twice. First, with the T-Ball Blue Jays, in which he encouraged and welcomed children the way only a father of 11 can, and later, this past spring, in the majors, where he guided the Yankees to the league championship, and my son to an early All-Star team berth.

Jeff left 11 children, some of whom I have had the great pleasure of knowing, and his wife, Elinor. The financial pressure on the family is more than most of us would like to imagine, and the community is coming out to help them. Read the Newton Tab for more on the story- or the Boston Globe.

One such effort takes place on Veteran’s Day, November 11. Good friends have developed the idea of having an all-day Sports-a-Thon to honor the man who coached so many of our kids. These kids will give back by forming teams and taking the holiday to play some of the games Jeff taught them to love; baseball, softball and (flag) football.

My son will be joining his friends in a game of baseball. These kids will play hard,, have fun and most important- raise money to help the Beatrice family get through an unimaginably tough time.

I only ask one thing: please consider helping. You may not live in Newton or know Jeff, but to help a family in need- even in the smallest way- is one of the kindest things we can do. We talk a lot about community on the social web; if you read this blog, you are part of that community. If you can help, please use the ChipIn widget below. Our team’s goal is $1,000 $5,000, but I bet we can crush that.

Thank you.

UPDATE: Through friends’ encouragement, I have upped the goal to $5,000. I think we can make this happen!

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