Foley’s sponsors road race, golf tournament

Foley’s Backstreet Grille in Stoughton is adding a new fundraiser to its list of good causes. The inaugural Foley’s Backstreet Grille 5K Road Race will be held Sunday, April 21, to benefit the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton. Giving back to the community is something that restaurant owner Dave Foley, a Canton native, has done for many years.

Karen and Dave Foley

Twenty years ago, Foley was the chef and general manager of the Corrib Pub in West Roxbury. He was instrumental in starting the Corrib Charitable Trust 5K Road Race, which has raised a million dollars to help local youth organizations and charities. When he and his wife, Karen, opened the Backstreet Grille, they continued the tradition of giving back.

“We’ve been doing it for a long time,” he said. “Every year we try to spread more around.”

Foley’s association with the Mass. Hospital School came about through a very personal connection: the late Matthew Christian, a Canton native who passed away four years ago at the age of 25.

“Matty Christian was a very close friend of my youngest son,” Foley said. “I’ve known him since he was a little kid.”

Christian attended the Canton Public Schools but did his athletic training at MHS — and in the summer of 2009 the school dedicated the “Matt Christian Waterfront” at Reservoir Pond in his honor. Foley believes that Christian’s involvement with MHS helped to make people more aware of the school and what it provides for young people.

Foley chose April 21 as the date of the fist Foley’s 5K because it is the first Sunday after the Boston Marathon. He plans to hold future races on that same day. The race, which will begin at noon, will start and finish at the Mass. Hospital School. Registration is $20 before April 21 and $25 the day of the race. A post-race party will start immediately after the race. The first 500 people who register will receive a free t-shirt. So far, 150 runners have registered.

The road race is the second fundraiser that Foley’s has held to raise money for MHS. Last spring they held the first annual Backstreet Open Golf Tournament. This year’s golf tournament will be held Monday, May 6, at the Easton Country Club, with check-in starting at 8 a.m. The fee is $125 per person or $500 for a team of four. The tournament is a Florida-style format with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. An awards banquet will be held at the restaurant following the tournament. Some 65 golfers took part last year and Foley is hoping to see over 100 people this year.

“It’s really a fun time,” Foley said. Proceeds from both the race and golf tournament will be donated to the general athletic fund at MHS and to help pay the cost of the school’s annual trip to Disney World for members of the MHS senior class.

Foley’s Backstreet Grille has donated to many local schools, temples, churches and youth groups, and has helped other organizations. During the last two years, for example, the percentage of one evening’s sales were donated to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, based on customer Stuart Weiner’s suggestion.

For information on both the road race and the golf tournament and to find registration forms, go to www.backstreetgrille.com.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Apr 11 2013. Filed under Business. Both comments and pings are currently closed.