The Stanley Cup finals return to Boston Monday night, shining a bright spotlight on this wounded city a mere two months after the Boston Marathon bombings and drama that ensued. For many of the 260 wounded, however, the drama continues.
Massachusetts Governor Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino have set up the One Fund, a victim assistance fund which has raised over $47 million to date. Distributions will begin on July 1st, but there is a serious concern that even such a bountiful sum might not be sufficient given the number of victims who will have to rely on prosthetics which are very expensive and must be replaced often.
Anyone who knows even the slightest bit about Boston and its fabled teams, knows that they are as legendary for the times they fell short as they are for their championships. For every Bobby Orr Stanley Cup winning goal or Adam Vinatieri Super Bowl winning field goal, there are images of a scrambling Eli Manning or a ground ball by Mookie Wilson that haunt us. Even the Boston Marathon is famous for its "Heartbreak Hill," the hill at the 20-mile mark that has crushed the dreams of many marathoners. We cannot let this happen in this case.
Fortunately, the victims have something that Yaz, Bird or Brady never had -- a nation eager to help. People like Marc Platt, a Los Angeles performer who was so moved by the fact that Bostonians' first instinct was to run towards the victims and not away from the blast that he wrote a song -- "The Best in America."
All proceeds from song downloads go directly to the One Fund.
As the Boston Bruins continue their epic playoff run and the spotlight shines of the Cradle of Liberty, let us take that opportunity to dig into our pockets one more time so as not to leave the victims stranded on Heartbreak Hill but instead show them the very best in America.
P.S. -- Go Bruins!