NESN on Saturday will host a four-team baseball tournament at Miracle Field in Acton, Mass., for children with disabilities as part of the RSN’s NESN Connects community outreach effort. Over 40 network employees will participate in the event, with the RSN providing three paid volunteer days for every NESN employee. NESN VP/Marketing PAUL BERMEL said the volunteer days off is “real unique” and there are “events every month throughout the year.” NESN Marketing & Communications Manager GARY ROY added, “In 2008, the company offered all employees the opportunity (for the volunteer paid days off) and we’ve been building it ever since. Last year, 90% of NESN’s employees took part and this year we’re looking to raise that to 100%.” Roy: “It’s part of the company culture.” Roy also noted the RSN has worked with a team of disabled children from Newton, Mass., since ’13, but an employee committee “decided to make the program even bigger.”
SPONSOR INVOLVEMENT: Roy noted the “feedback is amazing” from the employees and the program has been a “favorite because so many of the employees love to play themselves.” NESN sponsors Toyota and McDonald’s also will sponsor the event, with Roy noting Toyota is “making a cash donation to help pay for a lot of the supplies,” as well as providing each child a gift bag. McDonald’s will provide lunch for everybody in attendance. Bermel said the sponsors are “always looking for ways to give back and asking us how can we support them in finding local community things” to focus their efforts on. Roy said everyone involved in the event “wants to make this an annual thing” and whether the program “gets bigger, that is to be determined as far as how many different teams are available on a consistent weekend.” Bermel added, “Right after this event, it will be on our news programs, we’ll do it inside a Red Sox game and then we’ll make a commercial that will run for the next 30 days referencing the event and that will attract a lot of people to work at NESN.”
