Boston runners took to the streets on Saturday in the first big run since the 2013 Boston Marathon. The 4th Annual Run to Home Base 9K brought the city together once again and proved that its residents are, indeed, Boston Strong.

Thousands of people crossed the finish line of the race at Fenway Park in support of the Red Sox Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, which provides clinical care and support services to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and families. The hospital is also engaged in cutting-edge research to improve treatment for PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

More than $10 million has been raised for the cause since the first race four years ago.

Check out the video above to hear runners, including Jenny Dell, talk about what the race meant to them.

More than 2,000 runners participated in the 2013 Run/Walk to Home Base event, and of those, 480 were active service men and women.

The annual event raises money for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, which provide clinical care, education and research to help Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and families dealing with post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.

NESN’s own Tom Caron and Jenny Dell both raised funds and participated in the event. It seems TC may have had a faster time, but conceded to Jenny when it came to raising money for a good cause.

Hear what Jenny and TC had to say after the run in the video above.

The 4th annual Run/Walk to Home Base event has raised more than $10 million in the last four years for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. The program supports clinical care, education and research to help Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and families deal with post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury from war.

The event also honored first responders from the Boston Marathon tragedy, heroes who deserved recognition in their own right.

“This year’s run was even more meaningful in the wake of last month’s Boston Marathon and the senseless violence that followed,” said Red Sox chairman Tom Werner. “Our service men and women sacrifice so much so we can be safe at home. Sadly, the traumas they experience are now the same ones affecting many of those who were injured during the Marathon bombings.

Hear what else Werner, U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy and others had to say in the video above.

Patrick House has lost 215 pounds in three years and has committed his life to staying active and fit. Last month he finished his third Boston Marathon, and on Saturday he took part in another run close to his heart.

The 4th annual Run/Walk to Home Base event raises money and awareness for clinical care and support services for more than 500 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. The Season 10 Biggest Loser participant ran in the event to honor a friend in the Marine Corps who died just before House ran his first Boston Marathon. House said participating in the run and supporting the cause was “awesome.”

Hear what else House had to say in the video above.

As part of the opening ceremonies, members of the Massachusetts National Guard were recognized for their efforts as first responders at the scene of the Boston Marathon bombing on Patriots Day. The annual event, sponsored by New Balance, is put on by the Red Sox Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, provides clinical care and support services to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and families and is also engaged in cutting-edge research to improve treatment for PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

NESN’s own Tom Caron and Jenny Dell raised money and participated in the event. Caron recorded a time of 48 minutes, 56 seconds, while Dell came in at 56 minutes and 19 seconds.

Check out the photo below to see Jenny celebrating her finish with members of the armed forces.

Photo via Twitter/@JennyDellNESN

The second Friends With Benefits Gala will be held Thursday night at The State Room in Boston, and 50 percent of all proceeds will go to The One Fund Boston.

Nonprofit organizations from around the region like The Boston Bruins Foundation and The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism will come together for a tremendous cause.

An auction filled with impressive sports packages and prizes will be part of the festivities. Among the items being auctioned off are Red Sox tickets, Bruins tickets and memorabilia, a Patriots travel experience to Baltimore and a Nantucket getaway.

Tickets for the event, which runs from 6-9 p.m., are $100, with tickets to the VIP Coctkail Reception and Gala beginning at 5 p.m. going for $150.

You can get more information and buy tickets by clicking here.

“We are grieving for the victims of this senseless act,” Kraft said in a statement. “It is not lost on us that this tragedy occurred on Patriots Day, at an event where our own staff and their families were participating, and where thousands of runners were raising money for charities with which we are associated either through our Foundation, our alumni or our friends. Our focus is on helping those in need and beginning the healing process. We hope by matching donations we will encourage more people to give.”

Thirty-four members of the Patriots Charitable Foundation marathon team, which includes Patriots and Revolution staff and their families, participated in the Boston Marathon on Patriots Day. The 2013 Patriots Charitable Foundation marathon team broke charitable fundraising records, raising more than $248,000 to support the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program.

Donations for the cause will be collected by the New England Patriots and New England Revolution Charitable Foundations online at Patriots.com/donate or RevolutionSoccer.net/donate. Be sure to select “Boston Marathon” in the field provided.

Tickets for the experience can be purchased for five dollars, with all proceeds going to benefit Boston Children’s Hospital and the Boston Bruins Foundation. The winning ticket will be drawn this Thursday, April 11, and that ticket-holder will enjoy the Garden from the players’ perspective Saturday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.bruinsraffles.org

The Bruins had some special guests at Monday night’s game against the Hurricanes.

Doctors and patients from Children’s Hospital Boston’s Brain Injury Center got to see Boston knock off Carolina 6-2, and some of them hung out with NESN’s Dale Arnold before the game and at intermission to talk about the Brain Injury Center’s mission. Dr. Mark Proctor spoke about what needs to be done to prevent injuries, and he even had a special gift in store for one former patient.

Check out the video above to see what Children’s Hospital Boston is doing to help young people with head injuries.

Late before a game early in the season, Andrews was asked by former Jimmy Fund chairman Bill Koster to fill in for a teammate who came down with an injury, and spend some time with one of The Jimmy Fund’s 12-year-old patients.  Andrews admits to being a bit “miffed” at the time, feeling he should be preparing for the game. However, he complied with the request, and that was the beginning of a relationship with the cancer-fighting charity that continues 46 years later.

“I talked to [the boy] a while, he was a great ballplayer,” recalled Andrews during the fifth inning of the Red Sox home opener. “He had sat out a year of Little League and was really looking forward to getting back next year. We talked for a while, took a picture, I wished him luck and he left. And then Bill Koster turned to me and said ‘I really appreciate you doing that, we just sent him home, there’s no more we can do for him. He’s not going to make it.’ That kind of gets your attention.”

One of the first things Andrews points to is just the sheer number of patients that The Jimmy Fund is now able to send home under better circumstances. When he began working with the organization after his retirement from baseball — Andrews spent eight seasons in Major League Baseball with the Red Sox, White Sox and Athletics — he estimates that Dana-Farber was able to “cure” about 50 percent of its patients. Nowadays, he estimates that number as something closer to 90 percent of people who are able to go home disease-free.

“If you look at the bottom line, when I started with The Jimmy Fund it was really kind of grass rootsy, not much money being generated,” said Andrews. “And now, today, there’s approximately $70 million a year that is raised under The Jimmy Fund name. And when you take that and say ‘What does that mean to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in a year?’ without it they wouldn’t be Dana-Farber the way they are today.”

After being involved as a player, and then beginning part-time after his career, Andrews took over as chairman of The Jimmy Fund in 1984. In 2009, after 25 years at the helm of the charity, Andrews finally retired, though it wasn’t an easy decision. However, Andrews continues on as an honorary trustee, and on Monday participated in pregame ceremonies where Jimmy Fund patients threw out the first pitches.

“She actually threw it to Jon Lester,” Andrews said of Karen, the adult patient he accompanied to the mound on Monday. “So I said to her ‘You know Lester is a survivor.’ And she said ‘Oh, I know, he had the same thing I did.’ So they met, and Jon of course gave her a hug and a ball, and it was good.”

Obviously Lester himself is a shining example that Jimmy Fund patients can look toward, but Andrews says the Sox southpaw remains humble about his role. However, Andrews is unequivocal about not only the positive impact that athletes can make on patients, but the impact that meeting these patients can have on the ballplayers, too.

“The [players] that do get involved, and it’s a lot of them, they get as much out of it as the kids do,” said Andrews. “I’ve had so many of them tell me ‘I’m glad I came over here, I was in a slump, or I wasn’t pitching well, and now I go what am I worried about compared to these kids?’ And it kind of lifts them, too.”

Though he’s years removed from an active role with The Jimmy Fund, Andrews speaks with the conviction of someone who’s still very much emotionally involved. And for all the great strides the organization has made, it’s clear that it’s still the unwavering search for a cure for cancer that continues to drive Andrews and everyone else involved. But, on Monday, it was an opportunity to step back, enjoy some baseball, and reflect on just how far The Jimmy Fund has come over the years.

After 60 years of a partnership between The Jimmy Fund and the Red Sox, the spirit of cooperation between the two is still much the same as when Ted Williams dedicated himself to the cause.

John Hancock Fenway Fantasy Day, scheduled for Saturday, June 15, gives fans a chance to bat and field on the same hallowed ground as the Red Sox’ stars, with friends and family cheering in the stands. Participants can choose from one of three packages, taking a 25-pitch at-bat (total package cost: $2,000), fielding for 30 minutes ($750) or playing a full inning of batting and fielding ($2,500).

All proceeds go to the Jimmy Fund, which is in its 60th year of partnering with the Red Sox to fight cancer.

Visit jimmyfundfantasyday.org for more information.

The event, presented by New Balance, will take place Saturday, May 4. It takes runners (and walkers) throughout Boston and culminates with the ultimate finish line — crossing home plate at Fenway Park. America’s Most Beloved Ballpark will also open its gates to friends and family members, encouraging them to cheer on participants in the stands. The Fens will also offer food, entertainment and family fun activities.

The 2013 Run-Walk to Home Base is a 9K fundraising run that raises money for the Red Sox Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. Proceeds will provide clinical care for veterans with combat stress or traumatic brain injury and support services and counseling for wounded veterans’ families.

Learn more about the event and register to run or walk at RuntoHomeBase.org.

Click here to see Jenny and Jack peruse the site>>

The event included 40 boys and girls ages 8 to 13  from several Greater Boston YMCA locations. The children learned basic basketball skills, such as free throw shooting, defensive tactics and other fundamentals.

Since the occasion was sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts, the stations contained a Dunkin-esque theme, including “DDefense” and “DDribbling.” At the end of the event, Bradley and Barros took questions from the kids.

Click here for sights from the youth basketball clinic>>

Though Brown is confined to a wheelchair, he has been an active member of the community — the diehard Bruins fan dropped the opening puck at a B’s game last season and even completed last year’s Boston Marathon with the help of former Army Ranger Lucas Carr — and remains determined to regain feeling in his arms and legs.

Brown’s journey will be celebrated Saturday, April 6, with the third annual Matt Brown Gala, held this year at the State Street Pavilion and EMC Club at Fenway Park. The event, held at TD Garden last year and at Gillette Stadium in 2011, also recognizes youth hockey players and volunteers that exemplify Brown’s determination and commitment to the sport with the annual MB3 Never Quit awards.

Tickets for the dinner can be purchase for a recommended donation of $75.

Five hundreds tickets have already been purchased for the event, with only 200 still for sale. For information and to purchase tickets, visit mattbrownnumber3.org.

Photo via mattbrownnumber3.org

Ray Bourque invites fans to sign up for the first annual Boston NHL Alumni Pro-Am, to be held in Malborough April 26-28. There fans can get the chance to play with and against some of their hockey heroes, all while raising money for pediatric medicine at the Boston Children’s Hospital.

For more information, check out the video above or visit NHLAlumniProAm.com.

The mission statement of Athletes 4 Autism is “Because life isn’t a spectator sport.” But for the one million Americans afflicted with autism, that’s exactly how it can feel — removed from the rest of the world.

However, Athletes 4 Autism looks to break down such walls. A volunter-run organization and part of The Autism Research Foundation, A4A’s goal is simple: to team up top-quality athletes to mentor an individual who can benefit from some time playing a game they love. Boston University defenseman Sean Escobedo is just one of those taking part, and his two-year story of teaming up with young Derek can be watched above.

And if you want to learn more about Athletes 4 Autism, you can visit their website at athletes-4-autism.org.

Pete Frates spent four years leading Boston College baseball on the field, and now he does the same thing off the field.

Frates, who is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig‘s disease), now serves as the university’s president of baseball operations. There he can impart the wisdom he acquired playing for the Eagles from 2004 to 2007, and serve as an inspiration during his brave battle.

On Thursday, with BC taking on the Red Sox in Fort Myers, Frates was wheeled to the pitcher’s mound by former teammate and current Sox prospect Terry Doyle to hand the game ball to John Farrell. Check out the nice moment in the video above.

In a raffle launched by the team Wednesday morning, fans have an opportunity to win a grand prize package that includes two tickets to the B’s home game against the Capitals on March 16, two backstage passes to the Dropkick Murphys concert at TD Garden the night before as well as the chance to meet Bruins forward Shawn Thornton and receive a signed stick from the B’s bruiser.

All proceeds from the raffle will go to benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation and the Claddagh Fund, an organization founded by Dropkicks singer/bassist Ken Casey that raises money for several children’s, veterans’ and drug and alcohol abuse recovery charities in the Boston area.

Tickets are on sale for $5.00 apiece and can be purchased by visiting bruinsraffles.org. The winning ticket will be drawn March 13.

Band photo via Facebook/Dropkick Murphys

The Bruins were able to provide a day to remember for a community that has withstood incredible hardship over the past few months.

Head coach Claude Julien and a number of B’s players spent Monday in Newtown, Conn., the site of December’s mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Children and families from the community were able to participate in a street hockey clinic and a number of other activities alongside Bruins players.

NESN’s Naoko Funayama was also on hand at the event and had the chance to speak with Sandy Hook vice principal Natalie Hammond, who was wounded during the shooting two months ago. Hammond will drop the opening puck before the Bruins’ home game against Montreal on March 3.

“It’s the best sound, it’s the best sound ever,” Hammond said over the din of children’s laughter. “We want to bring them to a place of knowing that world is a good place and a happy place and a fun place, like this, for them to be in. The hugs I’ve been getting today and the smiles and the laughter is really the best part of this.”

See much more from the Bruins’ visit to Newtown in the video above.

A number of Bruins, including head coach Claude Julien, center Tyler Seguin and rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton, took a trip down to Newtown, Conn., on Monday. The B’s payed their respects to the families and children of Newtown, while signing a few autographs and playing street hockey with the kids. Everyone had an opportunity to take a picture with the players and even had a chance to snap a photo with Lord Stanley’s Cup.

For all the help the Bruins brought to Newtown, the kids presented Julien & Co. with a Newtown hockey sweaters as a token of their appreciation.

Check out some photos from the team’s trip below.

The day in Newtown is off to a great start, with street hockey, photos with the Cup & lots of smiling faces...^CS http://t.co/A71MbpT6

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Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 18, 2013

B's have arrived in Newtown...Dougie & Andrew signing autographs for families...^CS http://t.co/dPeqa1SM

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Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 18, 2013

Photo via Instagram/NHL Bruins