Meg Vaillancourt
The Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus recently honored Meg Vaillancourt of Charlestown, senior vice president of corporate relations for the Boston Red Sox and executive director of the Red Sox Foundation, with the “Women of Excellence” award for her fundraising efforts benefiting at-risk girls and boys.
The Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus’ Women of Excellence award celebrates women who do outstanding work to benefit girls in crisis. Proceeds from the awards breakfast benefit the Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus, based in Arlington, Mass., which helps girls ages 11-18 who have behavioral and mental health issues or who have been abused, neglected or sexually exploited.
Under Vaillancourt’s leadership, the Red Sox team charity, one of the largest team charities in professional sports, has won numerous awards for its charitable work, contributing nearly $50 million to New England-based nonprofit programs, including the Red Sox Scholars, RBI/Rookie League Youth Baseball, The Dimock Center in Roxbury and the Jimmy Fund.
Prior to joining the Red Sox in 2003, Vaillancourt was the vice president of corporate and community affairs for the New England Patriots.
She began her career as a television reporter for Boston’s “Ten O’Clock News” on WGBH-TV and later worked as an associate documentary producer for a program on the PBS series “Frontline.” As a business and state house reporter for The Boston Globe, she covered politics, public policy and the business of sports.
A Rhodes scholar, she studied politics at Oxford University after graduating from Harvard College with honors. A native of New Hampshire, she was raised at the Manchester Children’s Home, a group home and orphanage for children whose parents were either deceased or couldn’t take care of them.
In 2011, Vaillancourt was named Executive of the Year by Women’s Business Magazine and one of Massachusetts’ Most Powerful Women by Boston magazine. The Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus honored her with the Lady Powell Award for her impact on local youth, and Gov. Duval Patrick appointed Vaillancourt to the board of the Commonwealth Corps to increase the impact of volunteers. She also has served on local charitable boards and is an elected director of the Harvard Alumni Association.
Honored alongside Vaillancourt were Women of Excellence award winners Paula Stahl, Ph.D., of Back Bay, founder and executive director of Children’s Charter; Connie Chow of Watertown, Ph.D., executive director of Science Club for Girls; and Rising Star winner Alicia Canady Adamson of Dorchester, founder and executive director of Young Black Women’s Society.
Youth Villages produces lasting success for children and families through its Evidentiary Family Restoration ™ approach, involving intensive work with the child and family, as well as a focus on measuring outcomes, keeping children in the community whenever safely possible and providing accountability to families and funders.