Winter 2024
By Nathalie Sczublewski
Photography by John Deputy
In August, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute named former Boston Red Sox player Brock Holt and NESN anchor Tom Caron to serve as Co-Chairs of the Jimmy Fund.
In this role, Holt and Caron will be the lead ambassadors and public spokespeople on behalf of the Jimmy Fund. They will strengthen relationships with professional sports teams, strategize on fundraising initiatives, celebrate the tremendous community of passionate Jimmy Fund supporters, emphasize the importance of philanthropic support for Dana-Farber, and highlight the achievements of Dana-Farber doctors and researchers as they strive to find cures and treatments for cancer.
Holt, nicknamed “The Brock Star,” was a utility player for the Red Sox from 2013 to 2019. He served as the Jimmy Fund Captain from 2015 to 2019 and is a long-time supporter of Dana-Farber’s fundraising efforts. Caron has been a member of NESN’s Red Sox broadcast team and host of pre- and post-game shows for more than two decades. He has been involved in Jimmy Fund events including the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon for more than 20 years.
Since 1948, a handful of passionate and dedicated individuals held this leadership role, including Bill Koster (1948-1977), one of the founders of the Jimmy Fund who was known as “Mr. Jimmy Fund”; legendary broadcaster Ken Coleman (1978-1984); Red Sox infielder Mike Andrews (1984-2009); and former Red Sox president and CEO and Worcester Red Sox chairman, the late Larry Lucchino, who served as Chairman of the Jimmy Fund from 2016 until his passing in April 2024.
“It is an honor to follow in Larry’s footsteps to help grow the storied partnership between the Boston Red Sox and Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund,” said Holt. “I want to continue to help raise awareness and funds for cancer research and care in any way I can. Some of my earliest memories are coming to Red Sox games as a kid and dropping change in the Jimmy Fund can.”
“To be Co- Chair of this incredible philanthropic organization is truly humbling,” said Caron. “I’ve witnessed the lifesaving work done at Dana-Farber over the years and have seen the direct impact of fundraising efforts like the Radio-Telethon. I’m also a former patient, after a lymphoma diagnosis in 2015. I can’t wait to work alongside Brock, a tireless advocate of the Jimmy Fund, and help lead the charge to strike out cancer.”