Volunteers behind two Andover-connected nonprofits each earned $10,000 for their organizations at the 2026 Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards on Sept. 15 at Gillette Stadium.

The Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation honored 26 volunteers from across New England at the ceremony, the foundation announced. In total, $275,000 went to the nonprofits the winners represent. Twenty-five organizations each received $10,000, and William's Be Yourself Challenge received the grand prize of $25,000.

Michelle Adamic of Lawrence co-founded Everyone's A Player, an Andover-based nonprofit that has provided low-income youth access to sports and wellness programs since 2011. In its first decade, the organization reached more than 6,300 young people in under-resourced Merrimack Valley communities, with a primary focus on Lawrence, according to the Eagle Tribune.

Laura Diaz of Lawrence, a Resident Care Associate at Stone Hill at Andover, was honored for her volunteer work with the Latin Community Center of Empowerment in Lowell. Through the center, Diaz champions adult education, workforce development, financial literacy and civic engagement programs serving the Merrimack Valley. Stone Hill at Andover praised Diaz on Sept. 16 for her compassion and dedication to residents and colleagues.

Two other regional winners also have Merrimack Valley ties. Joseph Caruso of Gloucester was recognized for his work with the Brain Aneurysm Foundation in Hanover, Massachusetts. After losing his 31-year-old daughter Katelyn in 2023, Caruso and his wife, Lynne, became advocates and fundraisers for brain aneurysm research. Karen Coppola of Georgetown founded It Takes A Herd Foundation, which provides dementia-friendly, equine-assisted programs for individuals living with dementia and their care partners.

The checks go to the organizations each winner represents, not to the volunteers themselves.

"We never miss on picking the right people," Andre Tippett, the Patriots' executive director of community affairs, said at the ceremony. "You really can't go wrong."

The awards program has run since 1998 and has recognized more than 550 volunteers, donating more than $4 million to nonprofits across New England. This year's winners ranged in age from 17 to 93, and almost all six New England states were represented.

Nominations for the 2027 Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards open in February.