For Stoneham Junior, Football Tournament Has Special Meaning

Kevin McShane, Project 351 Alumni Leadership Team member and rising junior at Stoneham High School, will lead a community-wide flag football tournament to benefit the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund (MMHF) at Rec Park Field in Stoneham this Sunday.

The tournament and fundraiser - now in its second year - was founded by McShane, a leading member of Project 351, and is co-hosted by the Stoneham High School football team and coach Bob Almeida. Participants will include youth, community members, and the Stoneham High football team. The tournament, which starts at 9 a.m., will feature a match between the Stoneham Police and Fire Departments. Former Patriots player Ed Toner is doing the coin toss for the opening game.

McShane's desire to help others started early in his life.

"I lost my dad to cancer when I was 3 years old," said McShane. "My mom always told me how supportive the community of Stoneham was to my family while my dad was sick and after he passed. And how much it meant. Our family, friends and even strangers reached out with love and kindness. I feel like I can give back. I want to make positive difference for people like they did for me."

McShane's football tournament is part of a statewide service campaign that Project 351 Ambassadors and Alumni will lead to honor and remember those lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and Fallen Heroes lost in military combat since that tragic day. McShane and the Project 351 community pay special tribute to the 206 9.11 victims and the 255 Fallen Heroes with Massachusetts’s roots by serving in support of MMHF.

Participants at the flag football tournament will be encouraged to bring wish list items and create patriotic cards of gratitude for 1,000 care packages that will be assembled by MMHF and Project 351 on September 11, a National Day of Service & Remembrance. Packages will be sent to active duty service members from Massachusetts and local veterans struggling with homelessness.

The program will include a moment of silence and an Honor Wall created by McShane and his family to commemorate every Fallen Hero from Massachusetts since September 11, 2001. The wall features a tribute for each hero — name, biography, photograph, and an American flag. The Honor Wall will encourage reflection and build a more personal connection with the courageous men and women who sacrificed their lives for freedom.

"The feeling is overwhelming when you see the faces of the heroes who selflessly died for our Country," said McShane. "Leaving behind family and friends . Some were not much older than myself. I know that I could never do enough for the families of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. I hope that the tournament we run honors our fallen heroes of Massachusetts and remembers them in a way that makes a difference for the families they left behind."

Project 351 is a non-profit, statewide youth-driven service organization that convenes an eighth grader from every city and town in Massachusetts for a transformative year of development, enrichment, and impact through unique service opportunities. McShane was selected for the program by his middle school principal Chris Banos.

Since its start in 2011, Project 351 has empowered more than 2,600 students and impacted over 405,000 people through service projects across the Commonwealth. Each year, Project 351’s new generation of eighth-graders convenes for a year’s term to develop the courage, confidence, and capabilities to lead change. Program highlights include January Launch with Governor Baker to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Leadership Reunion with Governor Baker and the Kraft Family at Gillette Stadium; and three statewide service campaigns: Spring Service in support of Cradles and Crayons, September 11 tribute in support of Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, and Fall Service to help end hunger by supporting local food pantries.

For more information about the Second Annual Flag Football Tournament in support of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, visit: http://mmhflagfootball.weebly.com

Photo courtesy Kevin McShane of Project 351 head Carolyn Casey along with McShane. Photo was taken in front of the "tribute wall" that was made for last year's tournament. Information also provided by Northwind strategies of Boston.