Spring just days away can only mean one thing - that March Madness is officially upon us! And with that, the 22nd Annual Peter French Memorial March Madness Pool is now underway. This is our biggest fundraiser each year, as half the money goes to the Foundation (in the pool's first 21 years, we've raised just under $77,000) and the other half to the winners (we've given away over $15,000 in prize winnings the past 5 years alone, so there is much money to be won). The cost to enter is $12 per bracket and you can enter up to 5 brackets. Deadline is Thursday 3/20 at 12:15pm ET. To participate, go to http://pfmffundraiser.weebly.com/. Last year shattered the record for number of brackets entered with 568, so we're aiming to beat that this year. Anyone can play, so please pass the word along to anyone who you think might be interested. Thank you, and enjoy the madness! (fb)

We were very pleased to issue a $10,000 grant to the mother of Aidan McElhinney. Aidan is a 19-year-old Winchester High graduate who suffered devastating injuries in a car accident in December 2023 (severe brain injury, significant trauma to the torso and lower limbs, etc.) and has been hospitalized ever since. After lengthy stays at Lahey, MGH, and Spaulding, he has, and will continue to have, major medical expenses as he transitions from Spaulding to the next step in his healing journey. While coming home is the ultimate goal, that will mean expensive care costs as well as substantial modifications and retrofitting of their home. Insurance will cover some of this, but the family will be paying a large amount out of pocket. We know that Peter would be thrilled to help Aidan and his family as they navigate these most challenging times. If you're interested in donating to Aidan's GoFund me, here is the link - https://www.gofundme.com/f/Aidan-mcelhinney-help-with-medical-expenses. Aidan is a fighter, and if you'd like to read updates from his mom on their CaringBridge site detailing his journey, here is that link - https://www.caringbridge.org/site/93d5457f-9b89-3142-b5bb-5cee6b101dad. (fb)