AYJ Fund of North Adams awarded grant from Patriots Foundation

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (WWLP)– The New England Patriots Foundation has awarded $100,000 in grants to 17 Massachusetts nonprofits, including one in North Adams.

The Foundation has been presenting a weekly “Patriots Difference Maker of the Week” award throughout the season as part of their Celebrate Volunteerism initiative which recognizes volunteers who go above and beyond to help build stronger New England communities.

Before the New Year’s Day Patriots game, the Kraft family announced that each of the Patriots Difference Makers would be receiving a $5,000 grant to support the nonprofit organizations for which they volunteer. They also presented a $20,000 grant to the AYJ Fund on behalf of the 2022 Patriots Difference Maker of the Year, Kathy Arabia.

The AYJ Fund was founded by North Adams residents Kathy and Joe Arabia in remembrance of their daughter, Anna, who passed away at age 16 from a rare brain tumor, Gliomatosis Cerebri. At the time of her diagnosis, there wasn’t any research being done on this type of brain cancer. Because of the diligent work of Kathy and her family, the AYJ Fund now supports research laboratories at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Weill Cornell Medical Center, and Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.

“I am so grateful and honored that our work to support children with cancer through the AYJ Fund is being celebrated by the New England Patriots Foundation. Eleven years ago, three rookie Patriots players visited our daughter Anna at Boston Children’s Hospital and brought joy and smiles to her hospital room,” said Kathy. “Since she became our angel we work to spread smiles in this way to more children and to fund critical research to find effective treatments. It feels like a full circle moment.”

The 2022 Patriots Difference Makers of the Week range in age from 15 to 82 and support communities across New England. Charitable causes include healthcare, education, food insecurity, youth mentoring and more. For more information about the Celebrate Volunteerism initiative and the 2022 Patriots Difference Makers of the Week, go to this website.

Below is a list of the 2022 Patriots Difference Makers of the Week:

Organization Patriots Difference Maker Hometown

JP@Home Fabrien Rosen West Roxbury, Mass.

Project Just Because Bette McBride Hopkinton, Mass.

Emmaus Inc. Terry Stonecipher North Andover, Mass.

For Kids’ Sake Foundation Inc. Megan Jusczyk Plainville, Mass.

Greatest MINDS Boston Jhondell Smith-Young Boston, Mass.

Future In Sight Ellen Keefe Newmarket, N.H.

Uncommon Threads Karla Marleny Ortega Diaz Lawrence, Mass.

Island Grown Initiative Carol Collins Vineyard Haven, Mass.

The Carroll Center for the Blind Jonathan Valdez Lawrence, Mass.

Eliot Family Resource Center Sophia Gentile Medford, Mass.