BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez was on hand as the Red Sox, in partnership with JetBlue, distributed more than 40,000 blue and yellow City Connect hats to Boston Public Schools students and staff at 104 K-8 schools across the city on Friday.
This year’s hat giveaway launched with an event at the James F. Condon School in South Boston that included City of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Martinez, Red Sox Partner and Foundation Board Member Linda Henry, Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy, and BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper.
“We began this program in 2017 with the simple idea that every child in Boston should have a Red Sox hat,” Kennedy said in a statement. “It’s a way for students to connect with the team as our season gets underway, and this year, we had an opportunity to tie it to Patriots Day weekend by designing hats in our City Connect blue and yellow as a tribute to the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 Marathon. We are grateful for our partners at JetBlue who have supported this initiative from the beginning and look forward to seeing tens of thousands of children in these special hats throughout the city.”
“Today, the Red Sox organization once again showed its commitment to the youth of Boston by providing our students with their own Boston Red Sox hats,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “Our students were thrilled and will wear those hats with pride and spirit throughout the spring and summer months. I am grateful to Mayor Wu and Pedro Martinez for their inspiring words about the importance of kindness, mentoring, and sportsmanship.”
As part of Mayor Wu’s call for acts of kindness throughout the city to commemorate One Boston Day, John and Linda Henry have filled the Condon School’s Catie’s Closet with hundreds of articles of Red Sox apparel. Catie’s Closet is a nonprofit providing access to clothing and basic necessities for students to discreetly shop, free of charge. The organization operates at various schools throughout the city and region.
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