Big Award for a Nutmeg Big Brother

At a recent ceremony held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, Michael Mascaro was presented a 2013 Myra H. Kraft Community MVP (Most Valuable Player) Award by the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.

Myra Kraft was the late wife of Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. The awards, named in her honor, recognize New England community volunteers who follow her example of being lifelong volunteers, and who demonstrate leadership, dedication and commitment to bettering the community. There were 320 nominations for this year's Myra H. Kraft Community MVP Awards, with 26 winners - 3 from Connecticut.

Mike Mascaro, who lives in East Windsor, was a "Little Brother" (child being mentored) in the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters community-based program more than 30 years ago when he was growing up in East Hartford. Today, Mike is Director of Advanced Services for Comcast's Western New England Region, based in Berlin. For the past 4 years, he's been a "Big Brother" (adult mentor) in "Beyond School Walls", an after-school youth mentoring program sponsored and hosted by Comcast and managed by Nutmeg. In addition, Mike has been a member of the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters Board of Directors since 2011.

"Receiving the award was unquestionably one of the highlights of my lifetime," said Mascaro. "I was fortunate to be among a unique gathering of such remarkable people. It was inspiring and overwhelming. I'm thankful for everything Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters does for disadvantaged children. And I'm thankful as well that I'm part of a company, Comcast, which enthusiastically supports my efforts to help those in need when and where I'm able."

"We're proud of the great work that all of our volunteer mentors do every day," said Andy Fleischmann, President and CEO of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. "And we're especially proud of Big Brother and Board Member Mike Mascaro - he well deserves the 2013 Myra H. Kraft Community MVP Award. Mike shows all of us how to give back to the community. He is a high energy person who uses those energies to help children in need in every way he can. It's especially appropriate for him to receive this award that's based upon an individual's volunteerism, since Mike is always volunteering to help."

The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation was established in 1994 by the Robert Kraft family as a vehicle to support the youth and families of New England. The Foundation's mission is to assist a variety of charitable organizations and programs that foster cultural diversity, education, family and health. For more information, visit: www.patriots.com/community.

Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters is an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the longest established youth mentoring organization in the world - founded in 1904. It helps its clients, primarily children from low-income, single-parent and no-parent homes, avoid risky behavior and reach their highest potential. Nutmeg does this by creating and maintaining one-on-one relationships between children in need and professionally-screened, inspirational adult volunteers. Based in Hartford, Nutmeg was founded in 1966. It's funded, in part, by United Way organizations. It serves thousands of youngsters in 111 of the state's 169 municipalities. Help Nutmeg save young lives by volunteering, donating or partnering with us. Like Nutmeg on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NBBBS. Follow Nutmeg on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBBSNutmeg. Visit Nutmeg's website: www.nutmegbigbrothersbigsisters.org.