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An Overview of the Brendan Grant Foundation
 From tragedy springs hope, just as symbolized by the legendary phoenix rising from the
ashes. In the same way, this is the underlying theme for The Brendan Grant Foundation and
for this website. It is possible, as this effort exemplifies, for good things to come from
things that are not.
The Brendan Grant Foundation was created in the summer of 2001
(as a 501(c)3 organization) to honor the memory of
Brendan Peter Anthony Grant, who was a life-long resident of Belmont, Massachusetts, USA.
From a broad perspective, the Foundation is dedicated to enhancing youth
development, representing the best in spirit of the child-parent relationship.
Brendan was born in Brighton, Massachusetts on 25 August 1982. He lived his entire life
in Belmont except for his freshman year (Sept/2000 - May/2001) at American International
College (AIC) located in Springfield, Massachusetts. At Belmont High School, Brendan
participated on the football, wrestling, and baseball teams. In his senior year
(1999-2000), he was a team captain for both the wrestling team and the baseball team. As a
freshman at American International College, Brendan started for the AIC baseball team
throughout his first year in college.
On 27 June 2001, Brendan was playing summer baseball for the Belmont Senior Babe Ruth
Baseball Team on the Belmont High School Varsity Field. While attempting to catch a
routine fly ball from his position as left fielder, Brendan collided with the center
fielder, and sustained fatal injuries from the resulting collision. Although the archives
of baseball are still being investigated, a certain level of historical significance
exists since this is an extraordinarily rare occurrence (i.e., a fatal collision between
outfielder's) for this particular sport.
Foundation Accomplishments
The Brendan Grant Foundtion supports several on-going benevolant outreach initiatives, including multiple annual scholarships to graduating Seniors from Belmont High School, and underwriting the annual equipment and fee costs for the Belmont Senior Babe Ruth Summer Team. In addition, the Foundation has supported various capital improvement projects consistent with its mission for assisting youth development. The following are some examples of these specific project accomplishments, along with the on-going benevolant outreach initiatives:
August 2008: Softball Field Upgrades.
The varisty High School softball field wasprovided with multiple upgrades, including a new scoreboard, dugout protective coverings, an outfield fence protective cover, and other various improvements.
March 2002 - June 2007: Baseball Field Renovations. The
renovations to the Brendan Grant Memorial Field were officially celebrated
with a
ceremony on 24 June 2007. This
effort was funded by The Brendan Grant Foundation, and it was being made possible by
significant in-kind donations from a variety of supporters and contributors to The Brendan
Grant Foundation. Estimates are that upwards of one million dollars of
improvements have been made, with no capital outlay to the taxpayers of
the community. Click here for photos and further
details of the renovation during this five year period. In addition, the Foundation annually supports various field improvements including the seasonal installation of the outfield fence and addition of new infield soil mix.
August 2005: BHS
Wrestling Mat.
A new wrestling mat was purchased for the Belmont High School
Wrestling team, with the assistance of The Brendan Grant Foundation and
other charitable organizations.
December 2001 - February 2002: AIC Locker Room.
A recent initiative to rebuild the baseball team locker room at American International College (AIC) in
Springfield, MA was completed with the assistance of The Brendan Grant Foundation.
During the 2001 spring season, Brendan was a regular starter as a Freshman for the AIC
varsity baseball team. The locker room has been renamed in Brendan's honor, and one
locker is permanently dedicated to Brendan and will never be used. Click here for
further details.
On-going, each May or June: Annual Scholarship. The
annual Brendan Grant Scholarship is awarded at the Student Assembly at
Belmont High School in Belmont, MA each May/June. The first
scholarship was given in 2002. In 2004 the scholarship was expanded into
two awards for both a male and female recipient, and in 2008 it was once
again expanded to three recipients, one to a baseball, softball, and
wrestling team member.
On-going, each June: Senior Babe Ruth Summer Team.
Each year The Brendan Grant Foundation covers the cost of the
entrance fees for all the players on the Belmont Senior Babe Ruth Summer
Team. This recognizes that these young men and women have risen to
the top of the local program before moving on to play in college or
amateur leagues. This was the team that Brendan was playing on
when he played his last game on 27 June 2001.
Foundation Tributes Since its creation in 2001, several tributes and fund-raising initiatives have
been undertaken. The following is a listing of some of these activities:
On-going, each January: Brendan Grant Memorial Wrestling Tournament.
The first Saturday of January is the usual date for the Brendan Grant
Memorial Wrestling Tournament. This involves 16 invited high
school wrestling squads who compete in this all day event.
On-going, each May: Brendan Grant Memorial Weekend Baseball
Tournament.
This event is normally held on the Friday and Saturday of the
Memorial Day holiday weekend. Four high school teams
participate in a four game playoff format at the Brendan Grant Memorial
Field in Belmont, MA..
On-going, each June: "Brendan's Home Run" 5K Race/Walk.
The morning od Father's Day is when this community event is held,
starting and finishing on the Belmont High School track after traveling
5 kilometers (3.1 miles) through the surrounding neighborhoods.
Some of the local Boston's premier runners have been participating,
resulting in a top quality race event.
On-going, each August: Senior Babe Ruth Sportsmanship Award.
An annual sportsmanship award, named in honor of Brendan
Grant, is presented by Senior Babe Ruth League, Inc baseball . The first recipients,
Luke Prihoda from
Weimar TX and Ryan Mack from Stamford CT, received this tribute at an
inaugural ceremony held at the conclusion of the 2002 Senior Babe Ruth 16-18 year old World Series
at Cubeta Stadium in Stamford, CT.
On-going, each
March: Baseball Clinics. Youth baseball
clinics are held during the month of March at the High School Field House in
Belmont, Massachusetts. The Brendan Grant Foundation has helped co-sponsor of this
and other related mentoring activity.
On-going, each July: Wrestling
Clinics. Youth wrestling clinics are
traditionally scheduled
to be held during the month of July at Belmont High School in
Belmont, Massachusetts. This valuable mentoring activity is part of an
on-going program, and The Brendan Grant Foundation is a supporter of this
activity .
November 2001: The Sports Museum of New England. A
ceremony was held at The Sports Museum of New
England to commemorate a permanent exhibit that has been installed in honor of Brendan
Grant. The exhibit is comprised of a locker filled with Brendan's sports treasures
and personal effects, including his retired jerseys from Belmont High School
in Belmont MA (#1) and American International College in Springfield MA
(#23). The location of the locker is placed next to the exhibit of
the great Harry Agganis (across from
luxury box suite 640 on the sixth floor of the Fleet Center) because of the
fondness Brendan had for Harry and also because they left us on the same
calendar day (27 June). Check www.sportsmuseum.org at the Sports Museum website
for hours and full details.
Foundation Leadership
The Brendan Grant Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to
parent/child relationships. Many devoted volunteers provide support for The Brendan Grant Foundation
on a continual basis. On behalf of the Board of Trustees of The Brendan Grant
Foundation, sincere appreciation is extended to all of these important supporters.
The Foundation Board of Trustees
is comprised of the following individuals: Alan DerKazarian, Casey
Grant, Bob Masse, Ron Misasi, Peter Noone, Jim O'Shaughnessy, Tom Prendergast, Brian
Rogers, Robert Solomon. The Foundation Officers are: President - Casey Grant;
Vice President - Brian Rogers; Treasurer - Ron Misasi; Secretary - Tom Prendergast; and
Clerk - Robert Solomon.
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