Peabody Hall of Famer Geraghty honored with RFK Legacy Award
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Apr. 13—Growing up around Boston in the late 1960s, it was impossible not to be influenced by the legacy of the Kennedy family. That was certainly the case for a young Jim Geraghty in his native Peabody, a fact that makes his receiving the RFK Embracing the Legacy Award at the JFK Library next month that much more meaningful.
"I was always interested in politics and government as a kid," Geraghty recalled, "I read almost everything I could get my hands on about the President (John F. Kennedy) and his brother (Robert), and how their father Joe created the legacy.
"I've always been inspired by them, and it's quite an honor to get an award that embraces Bobby Kennedy's legacy."
Now 57 and living in Westford, Geraghty has made a lifetime out of giving back to the community. In addition to being Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps, he has served as a direct mentor for youth of DDAP (Detention Diversion Advocacy Program) for the last seven years.
He was set to receive the Embracing the Legacy Award last spring, but the event was postponed in the worst early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
The work of Geraghty and the rest of the board didn't slow down with the shutdowns, though. They've been working to secure funding to support year-round programs for social workers, teachers, direct care staff workers and other ways to help young people navigate the juvenile justice system and also concurrently address mental health or learning disabilities.
"Right now, we're in the midst of creating a new mentoring program to sustain the progress youth make while in our Detention Diversion Advocacy Program," says Geraghty. "Our programs have always mattered. However, the inequities felt by Black and Brown communities hit hardest by COVID-19, coupled with the recent rise in social injustice awareness, only reinforce the importance of our work: supporting youth of color and dismantling racist structures and systems."
Giving back is also a matter of Geraghty leaning on the lessons he learned playing team sports.
Peabody High's all-time leading boys hockey scorer with 165 points, Geraghty is a PHS Athletic Hall of Famer, played at Brown University and stayed active in the hockey community for many years. The values of teamwork and helping out one another have stuck with him through the years.
"My mantra has always been 'It takes a village.' The night I went into the PHS Hall of Fame that was in my speech, and it's still my most important phrase today," Geraghty said. "I was really fortunate growing up where I did to have teachers, coaches and former players that I could look up to and that mentored me. Guys like John Diefenbach, Richie Woodworth, Davey Bettencourt, John Tudor and of course Eddie Sousa in hockey."
Geraghty fondly recalls working at Woody's Pro Shop at the McVann-O'Keefe Rink as a kid. Through a variety of endeavors, he aims to help today's youth feel that same sense of promise and empowerment.
"So much of it is community relations," said Geraghty, "and a lot of it does come back to athletics. We've got a hockey program starting back up again, there's boxing, basketball. It's all about giving back."
A national finalist for the Community Service Award by Invest in Others in 2017, Geraghty got the Director's Community Service Leadership Award from the FBI in 2015. He had been training for his first Ironman last spring only to see it postponed by the pandemic. He's back at it again, however, with a half Ironman scheduled in Tennessee this fall.
Seeing all that work come full circle with this May's virtual celebration at the Kennedy Library for the RFK Embracing the Legacy Award if, of course, satisfying. His philosophy comes down to treating every person as if they were a neighbor in your own village.
"Like the late Senator, I believe we have an obligation to help those who are less fortunate," said Geraghty. "I like working with young people. I meet with them one-on-one ... I've seen the benefits of these relationships firsthand through the RFK Children's Action Corps and my own children. We need to treat every child as if they are our own."