Category: Fundraiser - Peter W. French Memorial Website

16th Annual March Madness Pool

4/3/2018

This year marked the (gasp!) 16th edition of our annual March Madness Pool. This year's pool saw a near-record number of brackets in both the Original Pool (460) and the Sweet 16 Pool (301). The 16-year run of this event has now raised over $48,000 for Peter's Foundation, which is truly an incredible number that has allowed the Foundation to greatly impact the lives of many. The pool’s popularity and success are due solely to the kindness of so many of you, be it through entering a bracket or two (or five!), recruiting friends to play, or giving extra donations along the way. So from the bottom of our hearts, an enormous THANK YOU to everyone for making this event such a success!

This year's Original Pool (and its $1,000 1st Place Prize) was won by Zachary Poirier. The top 9 finishers received prizes, so also earning hefty amounts were Eric Poydar, Ashton Therrien, Carter Capodanno, Burns McKinney, Alex Popp, Cathy Ellsworth, Richard Paduch, and Joseph Dangelo. The Sweet 16 Pool was won by George Lavelle, who took home the $500 1st Place Prize with a perfect bracket. Also finishing in the money were Will Felcon, Paul Capodanno, Nancy Volel, Greg Monast, and Joe Foley. Congrats to all of the winnners, and once again, thank you to everyone for making this year's pool one of the biggest yet!

For all information on the pool, including how to play next year and a complete history of the pool, go to the pool's permanent homepage at http://pfmffundraiser.weebly.com/.

Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser

2/4/2018

With our (and Peter's) beloved Patriots back in the Super Bowl for the 3rd time in 4 years, we were very excited to host the Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser once again. With 2 grids to choose from, participants could select up to 10 squares total. Numbers were then randomly chosen to fill up the grid, and the score at the end of each quarter dictated who the winners of the pool were. Congrats to the 2 big winners for claiming the $200 Final Score Prize (Richard Paduch and Bill Meehan), and to the other 6 winners for their $100 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Quarter Prizes (Linda O'Brien, Raleigh Zbinden, Matt Sayers, Scott Dinneen, Jack Squeglia, and Laurie-Jean Herlihy). Just like with our March Madness Pool, half of the total money in the pot went to the winners and the other half went to the Foundation. So despite a heartbreaking loss for the Pats, we were very excited to raise $1,000. Thanks to all for participating!

15th Annual March Madness Pool

4/3/2017

As crazy as it is to believe, this year marked the 15th edition of our annual March Madness Pool. What started off with 172 brackets in the first year (most of whom were either Peter's friends or Chris' friends) has grown into a nationwide event that still continues to grow each year. This year's pool saw a record number of brackets in both the Original Pool (481) and the Sweet 16 Pool (330). There were participants from an amazing 25 different states and from 74 different towns in Massachusetts. The 15-year run of this event has raised $44,000 for Peter's Foundation, which is truly an incredible number that has allowed the Foundation to greatly impact the lives of many. The pool’s popularity and success are due solely to the kindness of so many of you, be it through entering a bracket or two (or five!), recruiting friends to play, or giving extra donations along the way. So from the bottom of our hearts, an enormous THANK YOU to everyone for making this event such a success!

This year's Original Pool (and its $1,045 1st Place Prize) was won by Peter's Colgate brother John Blaise. The top 9 finishers received prizes, so also earning hefty amounts were Marie Ribadeneyra, Nicholas Woolf, John Morgan, Lynne Devaney, James Noble, Karen Bergin, Michael Devaney, and John Fleming. The Sweet 16 Pool was won by Jay Legendre, who took home the $530 1st Place Prize. Also finishing in the money were Nancy Volel, John Morgan (who completed the rare double of winning money in each pool), Sean Kessler, Van French, and Jon McDonald. Congrats to all of the winnners, and once again, thank you to everyone for making this year's pool the biggest one yet!

For all information on the pool, including how to play next year and a complete history of the pool, go to the pool's permanent homepage at http://pfmffundraiser.weebly.com/.

Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser

2/5/2017

With our (and Peter's) beloved Patriots winning the Super Bowl for a 5th time in the most dramatic comeback in sports championship game history, we were very excited to host the Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser. With 2 grids to choose from, participants could select up to 10 squares total. Numbers were then randomly chosen to fill up the grid, and the score at the end of each quarter dictated who the winners of the pool were. Congrats to the 2 big winners for claiming the $200 Final Score Prize (Bob Arsenault and Joe Foley), and to the other 6 winners for their $100 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Quarter Prizes (Albie Macdonald, Dan Hennessey, Linda Nerrow, Bill Duncliffe, Patrick Brennan, and David Morse). Just like with our March Madness Pool, half of the total money in the pot went to the winners and the other half went to the Foundation, so we were very excited to raise $1,000. Thanks to all for participating, and Roger That!

14th Annual March Madness Pool

4/4/2016

One of the best March Madness tournaments in history, capped by the greatest ending in tournament history, helped produce another very successful year for our annual March Madness Pool. There were 439 brackets in the Original Pool, and the $1,000 1st Place prize went to Cathy Davis. Rounding out the top 8 prize money recipients were Bill Branley, Cathy Ellsworth, James Flynn, Paul Capodanno, Rob Kean, Sean Kessler, and Lynne Devaney. The Sweet 16 Pool saw 296 brackets, and the Davis family continued their Villanova-inspired dominance with Larry taking home the 1st Place Prize of $480. Also finishing in the money were Mario Caporale, David Morse, Natasha Mikus, and Chris Ryan. Another great showing by the Winchester contingent, as 6 of the 13 prize winners have Winchester connections. With half of everyone's entry fees going to the Foundation, we were able to raise well over $4,000. An enormous thank you to everyone who participated and helped to make this year's edition a huge success!

13th Annual March Madness Pool

4/6/2015

This year's edition of the pool was by far our most successful one yet, as it shattered records in all 3 major categories (pool members, Original Pool brackets, and Sweet 16 Pool brackets). The Original Pool (and its 481 brackets) saw Jason DeFilippo take home the top prize of $1,050, followed in the cash prizes by Vincent Cramer, Billy Ulacco, Jay Burke, Van French, Kim Burke, Patrick Brennan, Steve Baker, and Shaun Oliver. The Sweet 16 (and its 322 brackets) saw Chris Ryan earn the 1st place prize of $520, and Nick Seita, Dennis Boudreau, Tom Colbert, Paul Capodanno, and Jane Macdonald also won some money. A good showing by the Winchester contingent this year, with 8 of the 15 winners hailing from Peter's hometown. With half of all entry fees going to the Foundation, along with some very generous extra donations along the way, we were once again able to raise over $5,000 for the Peter French Memorial Foundation. A huge thank you to all for making this year's event the biggest and best one yet!

For all pool information (including results from all 13 years of the pool), or to participate next year, visit the pool's website at http://peterfrench.hoops.sportsfan.com/.

12th Annual March Madness Pool

4/7/2014

The Peter French Memorial March Madness Pool was once again a huge success! As hard as it is to believe, this was the 12th edition of the annual event, which serves both as an opportunity to win some money and as a fundraiser. Each year, half of the money goes to the pool winners and the other half goes to the Peter French Memorial Foundation. The pool's popularity and success have increased each year, and we were thrilled that this year was the biggest yet, with 373 members!

A record 443 brackets were submitted for the Original Pool, and Matt Colangelo was the big winner with his $1,000 1st place finish (also finishing in the money were Tom Ribadeneyra, Patrick Ariniello, Betsy Kean, Tim Ribadeneyra, Steve Wolbrom, Kristin Volz, and Nick Burke). 293 brackets were entered for the Sweet 16 Pool (also a record), and Patrick Ulacco took home the top prize of $510 (followed by Randy Kessler, Dan Smith, a 2nd Patrick Ulacco submission, and Matt Groom). Congrats to Matt and Patrick, all the other pool winners, and the UConn Huskies! Check out the pool website for complete standings - http://peterfrench.hoops.sportsfan.com/.

At the end of the day, the pool raised over $5,000 for Peter's foundation. An enormous thank you to everyone who participated in the pool, helped recruit people, or simply supported the cause. We hope you'll all consider participating in March 2015, when the madness begins all over again!

11th Annual March Madness Pool

4/8/2013

The 11th annual Peter French Memorial March Madness Pool was once again a big success! We are so grateful to all of Peter's friends and other loyal participants who play each year. With 392 Original Pool brackets and 292 Sweet 16 brackets submitted, the pool raised $4,233 for the Peter French Memorial Foundation this year. First place in the Original Pool went to Luke Heller, followed by prize-winners Erin Alberts, Tim Ribadeneyra, David Candela, Chris Byrne, Mike Semenza, and Corey Williams. The Sweet 16 Pool winner was William Felcon, with Josh Russell, Michael Cramer, Dennis Boudreau, and Erin Alberts also finishing in the money. Congratulations to all the prize winners and a huge thank you to the 329 participants! We hope you'll join us next year for even more madness!

10th Annual March Madness Pool

4/2/2012

The 10th annual Peter French Memorial March Madness Pool was again a wonderful event! It is a tribute to Peter that so many friends and others continue to be loyal pool members each year, eager to support the Peter French Memorial Foundation. With 396 Original Pool brackets and 215 Sweet 16 brackets submitted, the pool raised $3,883 this year. We truly appreciate the 321 people who participated. First place in the Original Pool went to James Grebinski, followed by Dave Foley, Mario Caporale, Lynne Devaney, Peter Luitwieler, Daniel Ulacco, and Steve Powers. The Sweet 16 Pool winner was Kerry Dinneen, with Bill Wolfe, Dianna Deering, and Dave Hansel coming in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Congratulations to all, whether they relied on college basketball knowledge or just plain luck! We hope you'll join us next year for even more madness!

9th Annual March Madness Pool

4/4/2011

This was the best year yet for the Peter French Memorial March Madness Pool. It's hard to believe that this was the 9th annual pool run by members of the French Family. It was another crazy tournament with a lackluster final game! We had players enter 386 brackets in the Original Pool and 230 brackets in the Sweet 16 Pool. With half the entry fees going to Peter's Foundation, and further income from many donations, the pool raised $3,887 - the most ever! Thank you all who entered and donated. The winner of the Original Pool was Kristin Volz, followed by Betsy Kean, Steve Powers, Mike Bosco, Ben Davis, Jen Ryan, and Norm Wolbrom. Krista Sheets won the Sweet 16 Pool, with Kate Fuller Curren, Tom Ribadeneyra, and Richard Crocker coming in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Be sure to try your luck in 2012. You may win big money, plus help Peter's Foundation to grow!