McGinty Family Fun Day Returns Sept. 8

From the McGinty Scholarship Foundation:

Everyone embraces the memory of September 11th differently: hundreds of tributes take place across the country to remember those lost on that dark day in history. Foxboro, MA is no different.

For the 14th year, on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, Cindy McGinty and a committee of devoted friends will be spearheading a community event to honor the memory of her husband Michael G. McGinty, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and nuclear power and utility specialist for Marsh & McLennan working in his New York office on that memorable day. Cindy honors Mike’s memory with a celebration of family because Mike prioritized family above all else. Community was second to Mike, so 100% of all funds received on Family Fun Day in his honor are awarded to local scholarships to young adults who embody the same sense of community spirit as Mike.

McGinty Family Fun Day on Foxboro Common has become the annual family event that permeates all aspects of the community where families spend hours and hours enjoying traditional BBQ food, fun, music, games, raffles, bouncy houses, face painting, crafting, and each other with help from local organizations: Foxboro Rotary Club; Foxboro Jaycees; Foxboro Lions; Boy Scouts; Knights of Columbus; Foxboro YMCA; Foxboro Warrior Service Club; Foxboro Regional Charter School; and Bethany Congregational Church. Participants are asked to contribute $5 for all the entertainment and activities while food is by donation and raffle tickets are inexpensive; Mike’s memory is truly celebrated in bringing families together in the heart of the community.

Businesses show their support year after year: while the New England Patriots (and their affiliated charity, Partners in Patriotism) provide both generous cash donations and several prizes for the raffle, the event would not have had its success without the support of hundreds of local businesses who donate money, gift certificates and products for the raffles, volunteerism at the event, and publicity. Local band Thirty-6 Red performs live music every year.

Also vital to the organization are McGinty family friends, such as Chris Mitchell, once scoutmaster for McGinty's two sons who mowed Cindy’s lawn for years after Michael’s death and who later founded Foxboro Never Forgets, an organization that brought the 9/11 Memorial to the outside of the Foxboro Public safety building made with steel from the original building. Cindy McGinty said that Mitchell has been instrumental to the Family Fun Day's success and sets an example of the community values her husband stood for.

"I wanted to do something so people don't forget," said Mitchell. "I remember the days after September 11th when everyone flew their flag, people were nice to everybody, people were helping everybody out, they were donating blood, they were going to church... that's what Cindy wants people to do, to remember what happened after the fact."

WCVB Channel 5 anchor and Foxboro resident Maria Stephanos, who met Cindy McGinty when she interviewed her in the wake of the loss of her husband, emcees the opening activities of the event at noon each year, followed by local student performances of the National Anthem and words of inspiration and gratitude from Cindy and others.

Former Patriots offensive guard Joe Andruzzi, has also been a friend and a generous supporter of the McGinty Family and spoke at the event in 2015, saying that he hoped the sense of unity that he and others found in the immediate aftermath of the attacks will continue: "We took it one day at a time, every day we got stronger, as a country and as a community."

The organization has awarded over $100,000 in scholarship money to local graduates who embrace the values of community and service to make the world a better place, many who return to help with the event.

There are opportunities for involvement on many different levels. Businesses and individuals can mail monetary donations to The McGinty Scholarship Foundation, PO Box 626, Foxborough, MA 02035. Additionally, product and gift card donations may be coordinated through emailing lisajolicoeu@gmail.com or visiting the McGinty Scholarship Facebook page, and anyone interested in volunteering to help on Sept. 8th or to learn more about the event may send an email or visit the page.

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Image Credit: Dan Libon/Patch