Tom Brady Shares Sweet Moment With 93-Year-Old Community MVP Winner
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots honored the MVPs of the community on Thursday, and those winners had a few special guests on hand to congratulate them.
Two of the faces of the franchise were in attendance for Thursday's ceremony at Gillette Stadium, as quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski greeted the 2016 winners of the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards.
That included 93-year-old Ida May Molitor of the Norton Community Theatre, who was treated to a special chat with the Patriots' QB. She was surprised when Brady showed up to the event, and even more so when he sat down to talk for a few minutes.
"He wished me a lot of luck and said I did a great job," said Molitor. "He's a wonderful man, not just for what he does for the team, but what he does for himself and other people."
Her advice to Brady was to "keep up the good work."
The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation handed out 26 awards in all on Thursday, naming one-grand prize winner, 10 second-prize winners and 15 third-prize winners "who exemplify leadership, dedication and a commitment to improving their communities through volunteerism." The awards are in honor of the late Myra Kraft, the wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft and president of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation until her death in 2011.
"We live in the greatest country in the world and it's incumbent on all of us to keep doing random acts of kindness to make everyone's lives better," said Kraft. "As part of that, I think the Patriots have an obligation to have a pretty good year, and I do feel good about that too."
This year's grand-prize winner was Barry Clayman of South Yarmouth who received $25,000 to support the Yarmouth Food Pantry, which he helped start in 2010.
"I would like to thank the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards committee for being recognized as a worthy volunteer," said Clayman, who has been volunteering in the community for more than 50 years. "I have been fortunate, with the support of my family, to be able to participate in volunteering efforts for many years."
After the event's luncheon, Kraft was asked about the amicus brief the Patriots filed last week in support of Brady's battle against the NFL in the DeflateGate saga. Kraft politely declined a response, instead focusing on the day's MVP winners.
"I appreciate you asking that question and I respect it, but today we're celebrating volunteerism," he said. "We always hold this right before the start of the season. We're excited football is back, seeing these guys work out. I'm going to try to keep all of our discussions today on a high plane in the spirit of what this day is about."
Here is the full list of this year's 26 Myra Kraft Community MVP winners:
Cara Belvin (Scituate) -- EmpowerHER
Kathleen Boni (Milford) -- Green Zinnia, Inc.
Bartolomeo Cammuso (Southington, CT) -- Bread for Life
Susan Chaityn Lebovits (Newton) -- Boston Cancer Support
Barry Clayman (South Yarmouth) -- Yarmouth Food Pantry
Lisa Drew (Tilton, NH) -- Every Child Is Ours
Raven Ferri (Newport, RI) Community Housing Resource Board
Stephanie Frazier Grimm (Middletown, RI) -- The Confetti Foundation
Rita Guariglia (New Milford, CT) -- Literacy Volunteers on the Green
Floyd Hastings (Saco, ME) Southern Maine Agency of Aging
Vicky I (Somerville) -- Community Cooks
Judi Alperin King (Dedham) -- The Wily Network
Sarah Marchiso (Rochester) -- Waterville Valley Adaptive Sports
Rebecca Marcoux (Fair Haven, VT) -- Rutland County Women's Network & Shelter
Michael Mastroni (Trumbull, CT) Connecticut Fallen Heroes Foundation
Kevin McKenna (Hanson) -- Prom Angels
Ida May Molitor (East Falmouth) -- Norton Community Theatre
James Orcutt (South Easton) -- My Brother's Keeper
Michael Padulsky (Woburn) -- Gift of Line Bone Marrow Foundation
Melissa Pandolfi (Branford, CT) -- Camp Rising Sun
Lauren Richardt (Acton) -- Miracle League of Massachusetts
Wendy Rocca (Watertown) -- Operation American Soldier
Mary Ellen Wessell (Rochdale) -- Children's Smile Coalition
Eric Whitmore (Ellsworth, ME) -- Next Step Domestic Violence Project
Joanne Wilkinson (Walpole) -- Forever Home Rescue New England
Susan Zuker (Natick) -- Conquer Cancer Coalition
