Patriots surprise Boys & Girls Club volunteer with trip to Super Bowl
FOXBORO - A woman from Foxboro had no idea she was going to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas until Thursday morning. It was a wonderful surprise for Mary Cahill, who has devoted her life to helping the community.
"It's a joy to go there. If anything, I get so much out of it, going there. It's been a lifelong support for me," said Mary Cahill, fondly.
Cahill is quite the cheerleader for the Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester.
"The club opened like three blocks from my house when I was about eight years old. We joined, I took swim lessons; that's my main source of exercise, so I have gratitude every time I jump in a pool," Cahill recalled.
It's stayed her second home ever since - through decades of volunteering as a coach and lifeguard. Back when Mary was 10, a health education class even inspired her future career.
"I remember when I was in nursing school I said, 'I remember that nurse practitioner! That's what I want to do. I want to teach people how to keep themselves healthy.' It's what the club does. It meets everybody where they're at. They have the challenge program so people with different abilities are welcome to the club. They feed them well, even during COVID they supplied so many meals to families," Cahill said proudly.
So, when Mary was invited to a volunteer brunch at Gillette Stadium, she thought it was a chance to celebrate her club. She had no clue the Patriots wanted to celebrate her.
"I got there and remember sitting downstairs and Andre Tippett walked by, and I was like, 'that's pretty cool!'" Cahill said. "They brought me up to what I thought was a brunch. I walked into the room, and it was Josh Kraft and Andre Tippett with a big ticket poster. They said, 'you're going to the Super Bowl!'"
Mary and her sister fly out Friday morning, for an all-expense paid trip to Vegas. You can take the girls out of Boston but...
"We want to find as many famous people; try and find our old neighbor Mark Wahlberg and take a selfie with him!" she said.
There's no taking the Boston, nor the commitment to community, out of Mary Cahill. "You remember where you come from and give back. Help out," she added.