This post was originally published on May 7, 2014.
Welcome back to AfterPartyHeroes, where we’ll tell you about a person we love, either for the great things they’ve personally accomplished being sober or for doing something kick-ass and kind for addicts.
The Ernie Boch Empire
Our second installment features multimillionaire rockstar philanthropist Ernie Boch Jr. of Massachusetts. Boch, CEO of the billion-dollar car empire Boch Enterprises, donated $50,000 to a Vermont treatment center—double the amount he had been expected to donate. Before presenting the $25,000 check, he interrupted his own news conference to double the money, crossing out the numbers and writing in new ones. Well, alright then. It wasn’t the first time Boch’s generosity made headlines. He raised the minimum wage for all his employees to $10.10 in the wake of President Obama’s push for a similar raise nationwide. He has also founded a nonprofit music awareness program—which makes sense considering he graduated from the Berklee College of Music and even had a successful blues band before inheriting his father’s business. Boch is also locally famous for his high-tech mansion and his rockstar personality—basically, he’s the New England version of Tony Stark.
Boch’s Recovery Legacies
Recovery House comprises two facilities: Serenity House, which is a 24-bed residential treatment center, and Grace House, a transitional community. Treatment is based on the traditional AA model, and costs operate on a sliding scale. Recovery House CEO Richard Keane stated that Boch’s donation would go towards “beefing up our therapy and education groups.” Boch, who is friends with the governor of Vermont, praised the fantastic work that Serenity House was doing for the region. Few other clues exist to shed light on Boch’s special interest in recovery, but we imagine that in the music world, he saw more than one friend struggle with addiction. Suffice it to say Ernie Boch has changed the way this addict sees car salesmen.
Do you know anyone we should feature for their good work in AfterPartyHeroes? If so, leave a comment below!
Photo courtesy of Laitr Keiows – Own work.”Parking lot at HAA Kobe” Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons (resized and cropped)
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