Karma Restaurant & New England Patriots Support Andover Cares
Thanks so much to Karma Restaurant for their generous $9,100 donation to the "Andover Cares" Fund!
Iverson Guo, Karma Restaurant, came to the Andover Board of Selectmen to present the Rotary Club of Andover with this generous donation to support the fight against opiate addiction in our town. Karma Restaurant, in Shawsheen Plaza, hosted a sold out fundraiser featuring New England Patriot’s players Rob Ninkovich, Nate Ebner, Ryan Allen and Doinique Easley. The fundraiser featured a silent auction, food, and fan photos with the players.
This is a shining example of the town along with a service club, a local business and hundreds of our citizens coming together for a very worthy cause. The Andover Cares fund will be used to support ongoing education and prevention efforts by community groups in the fight against Opiate addiction.
Photo left to right: Paul Salafia, Andover Selectman and Rotarian, Iverson Guo, owner Karma Restaurant and Don Gottfried, President of Andover Rotary.
Lawrence Eagle Tribune article, December 1, 2015
Patriots Help Combat Herion Crisis
By Gabriella Cruz gcruz@eagletribune.com
On the field, the New England Patriots spend the majority of their time pushing back against the opposing team. Off the field, some players are pushing back against the growing heroin epidemic that has plagued communities across the state.
Velvet ropes surrounded the red carpet outside Karma Restaurant in Andover Monday evening as community members gathered to support a local cause and meet members of the Patriots team.
Four Patriots players joined nearly 100 community members for a fundraising event at Karma Restaurant on North Main Street in Andover Monday night. All of the proceeds from "An Evening with the New England Patriots" will benefit the Rotary Club of Andover's Andover Cares initiative, which works to combat the heroin crisis.
Defensive linemen Dominique Easley and Rob Ninkovich, safety Nate Ebner and punter Ryan Allen were excited not only for the sushi they'd heard so much about, but also for the impact the event would have on the community.
"We were kind of surprised at how much energy there is and how electric the whole event has been so far," Ebner said. "It's pretty awesome to come and support this event. I'm excited to do anything I can to help and to have some good sushi while we're at it."
Ninkovich seconded Ebner's enthusiasm about helping the community, as well as the opportunity to try Karma's food.
"I'm just happy to be here for the community and show my face and just do what I can," Ninkovich said. "I think this is an awesome event, and I'm excited to eat here. I've heard they've got some awesome stuff."
Iverson Guo, owner of Karma, was especially grateful to the community and the Patriots for coming together to support the initiative's efforts to fight the heroin epidemic that has hit not just Andover, but the entire state.
"Helping solve the ongoing heroin crisis that is sweeping this community is extremely important," Guo said. "I am especially thankful to all of our town leaders for bringing Karma into this great Andover community and allowing us to give back to the community, which is something we hope to continue to do through events like this."
Although the initial excitement for the event was garnered by the football players' appearances, the event's purpose is what resonated most with town leaders and the players themselves.
"I really appreciate the community effort to address this problem in Andover," Town Manager Andrew Flanagan said. "There are so many components to how we as a town can combat this issue and fundraising is definitely an important step toward our goals."
Guo and the Patriots have a relationship that Guo said goes back further than just Monday's event. Before he founded Karma, Guo was a sushi chef at a restaurant in Franklin where Patriots players often ate. When he decided to follow his dream of owning his own restaurant, Guo said the team helped him get started in more ways than one.
"Very few realize that there is an amazing connection that Karma has with the Patriots team," Guo said. "It was the Patriots that helped me choose the name 'Karma,' and over the years, I worked many events for various Patriots players. This event, however, is closest to my heart."
Tickets to the event sold for $100 each and included a full dinner buffet, drinks, a gift bag and meet-and-greets with the players. Signed Patriots memorabilia was up for silent auction throughout the event and included helmets, footballs, jerseys and photographs.
The Andover Cares Fund will award grants to programs that support Andover’s three-tiered solution to opiate addiction — education, treatment and enforcement. Guo said that proceeds from Monday's event will also go toward a scholarship fund for Andover students.
While the players were focused on supporting the Andover community off the field, Ninkovich said he and the team will be working toward another winning season back on the field.
"We're coming back from a tough loss," Ninkovich said. "So we've just got to watch the tape, learn our lesson, move on, and continue to push on through the season and look forward."
