BOSTON, MA – The 2009 Red Sox Foundation Welcome Home Dinner presented by Covidien will take place on Monday, April 6, at House of Blues Boston located at 15 Lansdowne Street, directly across from Fenway Park. The event, which will commence immediately after the team’s afternoon season opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, benefits the Red Sox Foundation and will be attended by the players, coaches, owners and management of the 2009 Boston Red Sox.

One highlight of this charitable event will be a game show performance based on the long-running hit, ‘Match Game.’  ‘Match Game’ ran on three networks over parts of four decades and saw its prime between 1962 and 1984 when the popular Gene Rayburn hosted the show.  

Similar to the format of the television show, Red Sox players and coaches will serve as ‘celebrity panelists’ and will compete as they attempt to match their fill-in-the-blank answers to those of other Red Sox players.  Red Sox players will also attend a reception with Welcome Home Dinner Sponsors before the ‘Match Game’ inspired game show. 

“The Welcome Home Dinner will be the first time that fans in Boston will have an opportunity to meet the 2009 Red Sox team in person,” said Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner.  “The event promises to be a night of fun as the team and our fans meet and mingle and create what we hope to be some memorable and humorous moments.  

We greatly appreciate the efforts of our players, corporate sponsors and fans who are coming out to help raise funds for two important Red Sox Foundation programs – the Red Sox RBI and Rookie Youth Baseball and Red Sox Scholars programs.  Both of these educational and recreational programs are cornerstones of the team charity's outreach and will benefit at-risk children in our community.”

Covidien is the presenting sponsor of the 2009 Red Sox Foundation Welcome Home Dinner.  Other major sponsors include Ace Ticket, Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, CVS Caremark Charity Classic, Millennium Pharmaceuticals – a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Target Corporation and Waste Management.

“As a global medical products company with substantial local roots, Covidien has a deep commitment to this community and understands the importance of working with others as a team, " said Eric Kraus, Senior Vice President, Covidien. “We are proud to team up with a championship charity like the Red Sox Foundation and the fans of Red Sox Nation.”

Sponsorships with special benefits are still available. Individual tickets are priced at $250 and $500.  Since the dinner is a charitable fundraiser, all ticket purchases and sponsorships are considered donations to the Red Sox Foundation and a portion of the ticket or sponsorship is also tax deductible.  To purchase tickets or receive sponsorship information, please contact Gena Borson of the Red Sox Foundation at gborson@redsox.com or call 617-226-6440. 

Additionally, as part of the promotional campaign for the 2009 Red Sox Welcome Home Dinner, the team has produced a television ad entitled “See You at Home” featuring Red Sox players Clay Buchholz, Manny Delcarmen, J.D. Drew, Mark Kotsay, Jon Lester, Mike Lowell, Julio Lugo, Justin Masterson and Tim Wakefield together with Red Sox Principal Owner John W. Henry, Chairman Tom Werner and President/CEO Larry Lucchino. 

The ad will debut during the New England Sports Network’s (NESN) broadcast of the Spring Training game versus the New York Yankees on March 13, 2009 and will also be posted on RedSox.com and www.redsoxfoundation.org. The spot was produced by Conover Tuttle Pace, an award winning Boston-based advertising/public relations agency, in collaboration with Red Sox Productions. 

About the Red Sox Foundation: The official 501c3 team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation is committed to harnessing the passion of Red Sox fans to create powerful charitable partnerships that will improve the lives of children and families in Boston and across New England. Founded by Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Larry Lucchino and the team’s generous partners in 2002, the Red Sox Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the franchise. 

Over the past seven years, the Red Sox Foundation has donated over $30 million to select nonprofit programs, including those run by the team charity. With the support of the team’s owners, players and devoted fans, the Red Sox Foundation has grown to be the most successful team charity in Major League Baseball.  

The Red Sox Foundation’s work is primarily centered on four cornerstone programs: in the area of health, the cornerstone charity is the Jimmy Fund; the Red Sox Scholars Program is the team charity's educational cornerstone; the social service cornerstone charity is The Dimock Center in Roxbury, and Rookie and the Red Sox Foundation's RBI Youth Baseball Leagues are the team charity's key recreation programs.  

The Red Sox Foundation has won numerous awards for its innovative outreach and commitment to opening the doors of opportunity to children. For more information, please visit www.redsoxfoundation.org.