Joe Andruzzi Foundation Donates $100,000 to Children's Hospital

Joe and Jennifer Andruzzi along with Jane Melchionda, President and CEO of EasCorp, presented Dr. Mark Kiernan, the Director of Pediatric Medical Neuro-Oncology at the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute at Children’s Hospital, with a check for $100,000 from funds raised at the Joe Andruzzi Foundation’s fourth annual . The presenting sponsor of the event was Credit Unions Kids at Heart, which is run by EasCorp.

Three- time New England Patriots Super Bowl Champion Joe Andruzzi and his wife Jennifer, surprised patients at Children’s Hospital Boston with some one-on-one time. While there, Joe, a survivor of non-Hodgkins Burkitt’s lymphoma, shared his heartwarming story to inspire the children currently undergoing treatment. The Patriots star let patients try on all three of his diamond-studded Super Bowl rings.

Joe united with former teammates, current Patriots players, celebrities, family and friends for an unforgettable New England Celebrities Tackle Cancer Gala at Christina’s in Foxboro, Ma., on Nov.7.  The annual event raised more than $375,000 for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, which offers financial assistance to cancer patients and their families. The Foundation also raises funds for ongoing pediatric brain cancer research at the Children’s Hospital Boston.

Joe and his wife Jennifer were joined at the gala by special guests who included present and former New England Patriots stars; Matt Light, Dan Koppen, Rob Gronkowski, Rob Ninkovich, Kevin Faulk, Stephen Gostkowski, Logan Mankins, Rich Ohrnberger, Dan Connolly, Nick McDonald, Jermaine Cunningham, Dane Fletcher, Brian Hoyer, Ronnie Lippett, Harold Shaw, Steve King, Matt Chatham and Max Lane.

The Joe Andruzzi Foundation was founded in 2008 to help cancer patients and their families make mortgage, rent, and utility payments during financially difficult times, and to fund pediatric brain cancer research. Joe Andruzzi, a former offensive guard with the New England Patriots, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Burkitt’s lymphoma in 2007 and was treated at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Cancer-free less than a year later, Joe dedicated his life to supporting other cancer patients. The Joe Andruzzi Foundation is Joe and his wife Jen’s second philanthropic effort; in 2003, they started the C.J. Buckley Cancer Research Fund at Children’s Hospital Boston in memory of C.J. Buckley, a young man with an inoperable brain tumor who had touched their hearts before his death in 2002.