Relief

Taylor Snow

addByline("Kelsie Bryant","Celtics.com","Celtics");

FALL RIVER, Mass. – Over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in history, making the need to conserve and protect our environment more critical than ever.

On Thursday, students at the Tansey Elementary School in Fall River were joined by volunteers from JN Phillips Auto Glass and the Boston Celtics to celebrate their success for going green and having a positive impact on the environment.

For the past three months, the Celtics along with team partner JN Philips Auto Glass engaged the students of Tansey by participating in a series of challenges to help promote a greener environment through the GreenShield Recycling Education program.

These challenges encompassed the importance of recycle, reduce, reuse, which represent the three pillars of the program.

The students first took part in a recycling competition in which they were asked to properly dispose as many plastic bottles as possible during a 10-day span. Collectively, the school was able to recycle a total of 56,089 bottles!

They then were tasked with reducing energy consumption by doing things such as turning off lights during off-peak hours, or powering down electronics when not in use.

The final challenge required some creativity, as the students had to reuse items deemed as ‘trash’ by Celtics players to create a visual art display. This was no easy feat, but the students successfully turned items such as old t-shirts, drinking cups, and shoeboxes into a TD Garden basketball court replica, a life-size basketball player model and even a three-hole mini-golf course.

Now in its fifth year, the program continues to strive to engage students in activities surrounding environmental responsibility and resource conservation.

To mark the end of the 2017 program, Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk, assistant coach Walter McCarty, team mascot Lucky and JN Phillips Auto Glass president Bob Rosenfield participated in an energy conservation activity involving Chromebooks and Makey Makey kits donated by JN Phillips before hosting a school-wide assembly to celebrate a job well done.

The theme of the assembly? Leave a positive environmental footprint.

“It’s going to be really, really hard to not do anything wrong, but what you want to try and do is leave a positive environmental footprint, leave a positive impact on the environment,” said Olynyk, reflecting on what he had learned while taking an environmental ethics class at Gonzaga University.

“If you could do more good stuff than bad stuff, we’re going to be in a better place,” concluded Olynyk.

After Olynyk provided his thoughts, Rosenfield wrapped up the assembly by sharing one last important lesson with the students.

“Always pick the right way,” expressed Rosenfield. “Doing the right things are going to come back to you in the right kind of way, so thank you for choosing every day here to do the right thing and support the environment.”

In short, every little bit helps, and the students of Tansey Elementary School certainly helped to make our environment a better place to live through recycling, reducing and reusing!

olynyk-jn-phillips-raise-environmental-awareness-for-fall-river-students

Olynyk, JN Phillips Raise Environmental Awareness for Fall River Students

addByline("Kelsey Keena","Celtics.com","Celtics");

CHELSEA, Mass. – Over the course of the last three months, students at Berkowitz Elementary School in Chelsea, Mass. tossed out their bad habits and became dedicated to adopting greener ways.

The change of pace was a direct result of accepting what has become an annual challenge from JN Phillips Auto Glass and the Boston Celtics through the GreenShield® Recycling Education program.

The program is a three-part series that focuses on the importance of reduce, reuse, and recycle in an effort to teach students how to become good environmental citizens.  Along the way, students are rewarded with tickets to Celtics games with transportation to and from the arena and personalized prizes from players.

Since the challenge’s inception, a staggering 512,187 plastic bottles have been recycled by elementary students in Massachusetts. To contextualize, some estimates indicate that you can save enough energy to power a laptop for more than 4,280 years with that amount of recycled plastic.

This past January, students at Berkowitz geared up for the challenge and set out to break program records while doing their part to aid the planet.

Rising to the occasion, the youth recycled 66,020 plastic bottles – an average of 111 bottles per student – in just 10 days.

Next, the school reduced energy output by turning off lights in classrooms, closing doors to keep rooms insulated and powering down electrical devices. The effort saved 1504 KWH during off-peak hours in the month of February, compared to February 2015.

The final contest gave the kids a chance to channel their creativity; students took leftover items from the Celtics’ locker room and reused the materials to make a variety of art projects, including a map of Massachusetts, educational board games and informative videos.

On Thursday, Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk, assistant coach Walter McCarty, mascot Lucky and President of JN Phillips Auto Glass Bob Rosenfield visited Berkowitz to celebrate the students’ accomplishments.

Olynyk, Rosenfield and volunteers from JN Phillips started off the morning by unveiling the donation of a Hydroponic Growing Station to the school community.  The crew was joined by a select group of students who worked in teams to plant flowers at the station in an effort further educate the youth on how to make a positive environmental imprint.

Following the green-themed activity, the group headed to the gymnasium to assemble with the rest of the school for a pep rally. Here, the youth were treated to a Lucky Dunk Show, Celtics prizing and more!

Most importantly, the students had a chance to hear from two special guests who pride themselves on being good environmental citizens.

For starters, Rosenfield has been the driver behind the JN Phillips Auto Glass GreenShield® practice, which commits to responsibly recycling 100 percent of the windshields they replace.  It’s the first large-scale effort by any auto glass company to recycle and reduce the impact of consumer windshields at the end of their product lifespan.

“It is important to know the proper way to conduct yourself for yourself and for others. So today we honor you guys. You are shining examples of doing the right things for other,” stated Rosenfield. “Today, I will leave you with two words: ‘positive influence.’”

Adding to Rosenfield’s remarks, Olynyk then gave some pointers on how to live a balanced lifestyle in order to make a positive influence on the Earth.

“At the end of the day you want to make sure that you had a positive output,” instructed Olynyk.  “So maybe you had to do something that hurt the environment, like getting a ride to school, since cars pollute the air. So then you can make up for that in different way, such as planting flowers, shutting off the lights, or recycling each day.

“If we all do more good things than bad, we are going to be able to make this world a better place!”

And so, with one final Lucky dunk for good luck, the youth filed out of the gym with hopes to make even more strides to protect the environment.

olynyk-jn-phillips-host-recycling-event-for-chelsea-youth

Olynyk, JN Phillips Host Recycling Event for Chelsea Youth

addByline("Daniel Goose","Celtics.com","Celtics");

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – For the third consecutive year, Sal’s Pizza and the Boston Celtics joined forces to give local elementary school students a platform to use their voices to influence change.

Students at Atkinson Elementary School in North Andover, Mass. rallied behind the creation of a public service announcement in an effort to raise awareness around the dangers of texting and driving, or “drexting,” as they coined it.

The youth created an entire script that included data to back up the importance of the issue. After designing the scenes and rehearsing their lines, the group met with the film’s director to bring their message about “drexting” to life.

The students introduced the PSA at an all-school assembly on Tuesday, and were joined by Celtics guard Avery Bradley, team mascot Lucky and Sal’s Pizza’s CEO and Founder Sal Lupoli.

Lucky kicked off the assembly with a crowd-stimulating dunk show in the school’s gym. The VIP panelists  then took turns speaking to the packed gymnasium, shining light on the significance of what the students were about to present.

Lupoli was the first to address the students, telling them how thankful he was for their collaborative effort to educate others.

“For you guys to take time out of your busy schedules to spread that awareness about the dangers of texting and driving shows a lot of leadership,” said Bradley. “It shows that you care for your family and it shows that you care for your friends.”

Agreeing with Bradley’s sentiment, Lucky took his turn to speak about the dangers of texting and driving and how it has affected him personally.

Then it was time to premiere the much-anticipated PSA to the school community.

With Bradley sitting in the front row among students who were featured in the video, the gym went dark and the short film began to play. The students watched the film in silence, taking great pride in their work.  At the end of the PSA, the gym erupted in applause for the great piece.

The three VIPs concluded the afternoon by presenting one last gift to the school. On behalf of Sal’s Pizza and the Celtics, they granted Atkinson Elementary School with a check to assist with purchasing tools to further their education.

Be sure to check out Atkinson’s “drexting” PSA on  Celtics.com!

bradley-sals-pizza-educate-students-on-dangers-of-texting-driving

Bradley, Sal's Pizza Educate Students on Dangers of Texting & Driving

BRIGHTON, Mass. – For the second consecutive season, the Boston Celtics teamed up with UnitedHealth Group and Project Sunshine to host a “Sending Sunshine” event for children undergoing medical care in Boston.

Project Sunshine is a non-profit organization that provides free educational, recreational and social programs to children and families facing medical challenges. Volunteers from the organization provide outlets to pediatric patients year-round, with the intention to relieve anxiety through the avenue of play.

The Celtics event aimed to bring joy to youth at Franciscan Hospital for Children in a two-part event.

Part one of the event took place during the Celtics game on Jan. 6, when they took on the Detroit Pistons. UnitedHealth Group employees and their families volunteered to assemble arts and crafts kits during the game.  Each kit contained educational and entertaining crafts that provide children facing significant medical challenges some much-needed fun.

On Thursday afternoon, Celtics swingman Evan Turner had the pleasure of delivering the kits to youth at Franciscan Hospital for Children as part two of the event.

Once on campus, Turner led a basketball activity alongside Project Sunshine volunteers for youth. He then participated in arts and crafts with children in the medical unit.

“Today it was great to spend some time with these kids,” said Turner.  “They all have so much energy, unfortunate situations, but positive mindsets.

“It’s nice to take time to talk to them. Kids are very smart, I’m here trying to influence them and brighten up their day, and they continue to teach me things and make me laugh.”

For more information on how you can send some sunshine please visit  projectsunshine.org.

turner-sends-some-sunshine-to-pediatric-patients

Turner Sends Some Sunshine to Pediatric Patients

LOWELL, Mass. – Sal’s Pizza and the Boston Celtics are collaborating for the third consecutive year to give local youth the opportunity to star in a public service announcement, in an effort to motivate viewers to take action around a given social cause.

“Sal's Pizza and the Boston Celtics have teamed up to raise awareness on major issues that have impacted our communities, such as hunger and cancer,” Sal’s Pizza CEO Sal Lupoli recently stated on the history of the partnership’s community platform.  “This year we are focusing on texting and driving to create a campaign where children are the voice for their families and surrounding community.”

The first to lend their voices to the digital campaign were students from McAvinnue Elementary School in Lowell, Mass.

Over the course of three weeks, the youth worked together to research statistics regarding the dangers of texting while driving, before drafting up a storyboard and script.   The students then met with the film’s director and creative lead and made the vision come to life by capturing the alarming realities of distracted driving.

Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko and mascot Lucky joined Sal’s Pizza Vice President of Business Development Mike Lupoli to premiere the PSA Tuesday afternoon at a schoolwide viewing party for the McAvinnue community.

The special guests spoke to the youth-packed gymnasium about the power of using their voice to influence change, no matter one’s age.

“Remember to treat others the way you would like to be treated,” instructed Jerebko.

After the brief speaking portion, Jerebko announced he had a surprise for the school.

“I got something here,” stated Jerebko as he reached into his pocket. “I don’t know if you guys want to go to a game, but I brought tickets for all of you!”

The crowd immediately rejoiced in excitement upon hearing Jerebko’s announcement, and that energy kept flowing right into a highflying Lucky dunk show.

Then it was time to reveal the PSA the student council worked so diligently on.

“It is a huge problem; I see it every day,” said Jerebko on witnessing fellow drivers texting on the road.  “After that video I got goosebumps.  Just an amazing video these kids put together for an amazing cause.”

Check out the PSA live on the Teaming Up Against Texting and Driving homepage on  Celtics.com!

jerebko-sals-pizza-raise-texting-driving-awareness

Jerebko, Sal's Pizza Raise Texting & Driving Awareness

BOSTON – At the root of any successful operation is a solid foundation.  Take, for instance, the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).  Trace back the history of the organization and you’ll come upon the story of a nationally recognized pioneer in social reform, Kip Tiernan.

For decades, Tiernan was at the forefront of advocating for economic and social justice throughout the city of Boston. She is well-known for founding the first homeless shelter for women in the country – Rosie’s Place – right here in Boston. The story goes that Tiernan quickly needed to institute a way to be able to feed the population she was serving at the shelter, so she began catering food from the back of her station wagon. This moment in time bookmarked the start of the GBFB.

Tiernan founded the organization as a result of needing a place to store food.  As donations increased, additional shelters benefitted from the GBFB food supply.

Today, the organization supplies food for over 550 hunger relief agencies.  On an annual basis, the distributed food reaches as many as 545,000 people throughout eastern Massachusetts.

Tiernan passed away in 2011, but her philanthropic passion is still carried out by staff and stakeholders of the GBFB.

Among those stakeholders is Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens and his family.

After joining the Boston community, Stevens and his wife Tracy connected with the GBFB and made a commitment to assist the organization with their ongoing mission to end hunger.

The Stevens family hosted their 2nd annual Thanksgiving Meal Distribution event at the GBFB Monday evening, and sponsored 200 meals that were voluntarily distributed by them and members of the Celtics front office.  Throughout the evening, families from the local community were all provided with essential food items for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

“The biggest thing is being able to come out and lend a helping hand,” said Stevens.  “Just to see the smiles on peoples’ faces when they walk by is special.”

Also volunteering at the event were local representatives of the nation’s armed forces as part of the NBA Cares Commitment to Service initiative.

“To have the troops here this year helping us is a fantastic collaborative effort,” noted Stevens.  “We couldn’t be more thankful for what they do for our country.”

Similar to the groundwork Tiernan set for the operations at GBFB, Stevens continues to lay the foundation for the rebuilding Celtics. One way he tries to foster that collective bond is offering up the opportunity to have front office staff and their families attend the annual event to volunteer.

“We try to do as much as we can together,” stated Stevens on the volunteering element of the event that has become a holiday tradition among the coaching staff.  “There is a comradery in doing things off the court that is certainly important.”

The scene within the 117,000 square foot GBFB warehouse Monday evening was the essence of community support.  A vision of hope that dates back to the humanitarian spirit of one woman.

stevens-family-provides-meals-at-gbfb-event

Stevens Family Provides Meals at GBFB Event

BOSTON – The storied past of the Boston Celtics has been shared by fans from generation to generation.  Tales of celebrated moments in NBA history along with memories of iconic players withstand decades to shape the timeless traditions fans still carry out today.

For 12-year-old Brooklyn Pierce, growing up miles away from Boston in a town just west of Des Moines, Iowa has proven to be no obstacle in being naturally drawn to the legendary franchise. The young fan’s brain works like an ESPN ticker graphic, being able to quickly recall various Celtics facts and key moments from their history.

Every morning Pierce wakes up in his bedroom that he has decked out in Celtics décor, team trinkets and images of his all-time favorite Celtics players. Each morning he also rises to a daily challenge as he battles cerebral palsy and epilepsy.  At times, the ongoing test of strength is tough for Pierce to take on, but he perseveres with the same tenacity of the NBA stars he idolizes.

Back in August, the Celtics received word from Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island of the young fan’s dream to play alongside his favorite player, Isaiah Thomas.

Upon hearing the wish, Thomas wanted to create a memory suited for such a local fan, so Pierce received an invitation to join the team at training camp to be an honorary Celtic for the day.

“It is a blessing for someone to want to play on the same team as me,” reflected Thomas.  “There are no words to describe it. It is a great feeling to help out and to be able to put a smile on Brooklyn’s face.”

Like a true draft pick, Pierce arrived in Boston Tuesday morning for the first time, dropped his bag off at his hotel, and made his way to the Celtics front office to begin his journey as an NBA player.

Greeting the honorary guest and his family in the office lobby was 2008 NBA Champion Leon Powe and team mascot Lucky.  Powe and Lucky welcomed the family and gave Pierce a behind-the-scenes tour of the office.  Walking around the office the young fan was enamored by the amount of team history displayed up on the walls and did not hesitate to share some interesting facts of his own with the two Celtics hosts.

After the tour, the family joined Powe for dinner with a spectacular view overlooking the TD Garden.

Halfway through the meal however a few unexpected guests stopped by with a different agenda.

“What’s going on Brooklyn,” announced NBA veteran David Lee as he and the entire Celtics training camp roster entered.  “You ready to get out there with us tonight?”

“Of course,” responded the eager youth.

Pierce’s most beloved player, Thomas, then ushered him off to his mock press conference to sign his 1-day contract to become an honorary Celtic at the team’s open practice event for season ticket members.

Once the signatures of Thomas and Pierce were penned, the newly signed Celtic held up his own personalized jersey, tossed on his very own draft hat, answered a few questions from the media, and headed over to the arena to get to work.

When Pierce entered the team locker room, he found his locker alongside Thomas’ equipped with official team practice apparel and new Adidas sneakers. Once he was geared up for practice, the youth took a prideful step onto the renowned parquet floor to join the team at a closed training camp session.

Sitting courtside, the young fan soaked in all the action, making note of all the instructions coaches dished out to players.

Members of the team stopped over one-by-one to congratulate Pierce on his big night and to thank him for all the support.

Under the guidance of Thomas, Pierce assisted the players by rebounding during shooting drills before heading back into the locker room for a team meeting and to review film.

At the start of the open practice event, comprised of a 24-minute intersquad scrimmage, Pierce accompanied Thomas to the bench to cheer on the team.

Following the first quarter, Thomas had one final surprise for Pierce: A true celebration for the young fan’s draft night in front of the greatest fans in the world.  The arena quickly became encased with applause as attendees learned of Pierce’s Make-A-Wish experience over a public address announcement.

Pierce was joined by his teammates at center court and smiled from ear to ear as Celtics Nation gave him a standing ovation.

“It’s been a huge boost for him,” said his mother, Jessica Pierce.  “A once in a lifetime moment he will always remember.”

It was another noteworthy event for Pierce to log to his record book of monumental moments in team history.  This Celtics memory, though, stars the young fan himself.

thomas-make-a-wish-give-young-fan-unique-training-camp-experience

Thomas, Make-A-Wish Give Young Fan Unique Training Camp Experience

WORCESTER, Mass. – For most New England residents, the sight of spring brings about a renewed sense of environmental responsibility.

Despite record snowfall this winter, students of the May Street School in Worcester, Mass. have had environmental conservation on their minds all year long.

In January, the school accepted the Boston Celtics challenge to participate in the JN Phillips Auto Glass Greenshield Recycling Education program.  The program engages students in a series of three competitions focused on teaching the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.

Based on behavioral research, each competition runs for 10 days over a three-month period and are designed so that the youth ingrain new habits.

The students first took part in a recycling competition, during which they were asked to properly dispose as many plastic bottles as possible.

They then worked to reduce the amount of food wasted during lunch periods.

Lastly, classes worked together to reuse items from Celtics players’ lockers to create visual art projects.   Materials such as sneakers, warm-up pants, sneaker boxes and tape rolls were transformed into educational games, lawn ornaments and a replica Larry O’Brien championship trophy.

The winning classroom of each challenge received t-shirts, a personalized poster prize from a Celtics player and tickets to a Celtics home game, along with transportation to and from the arena.

To mark the end of this year’s program Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk, assistant coach Walter McCarty, team mascot Lucky, JN Phillips Auto Glass President Bob Rosenfield and Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools Dr. Melinda Boone all teamed up Monday morning for a school-wide celebration.

Volunteers from JN Phillips started off the morning by visiting each classroom to read an environmentally friendly book.   Students eagerly reflected on the plot of the story drawing the connection between the main character and the work they completed together to better the environment.

“We are proud to partner with the Celtics and sponsor the Recycling Education program to raise awareness and educate students about the importance of recycling and protecting the environment,” said Rosenfield.

Afterward, the students and staffers assembled in the gym for a high-energy pep rally, which emphasized the importance of maintaining a green Earth.

“If there is one thing I want the kids to take away from today, it’s just to try and leave a positive impact on the environment,” said Olynyk. “Do more good than bad because if everybody does that in the world, I think the world is going to be a better place.”

Students were treated to the crowd pleasing antics of Lucky during his dunk show, received first hand advice from the insightful Olynyk and some were rewarded with signed memorabilia during the assembly.

“It is amazing to be a part of it,” said Olynyk on being involved with the community. “To put a smile on these kids’ faces and give them an opportunity to broaden their horizons on different ways of learning than just the traditional way of books gives them something to be excited about.

“We want to preserve the environment for generations and generations to come. When you teach kids stuff like this early in life it is huge; hopefully it gets ingrained in their minds and they can carry it forward.”