Groton — Community Speaks Out co-founder and President Tammy de la Cruz has received a $10,000 check along with an official football designating her as a most valuable player from the New England Patriots Foundation.

The Groton nonprofit provides assistance, support and education to people and families struggling with addiction.

De la Cruz and Community Speaks Out were among 26 organizations to receive a Myra Kraft Community MVP Award. She said by phone Monday that she is "beyond honored" to have been nominated for and received the award.

She attended the Aug. 20 awards event at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., with her husband, Community Speaks Out co-founder Joe de la Cruz — who in 2016 was elected as a state representative — and daughter Kayla Gingerella. Team owner Robert Kraft handed her the official football, and she was excited to stand on the football field and touch the goal post.

Kraft's son, Patriots Foundation President Joshua Kraft, and Patriots Hall of Famer Andre Tippett, executive director of community affairs for the foundation, also attended the event. The foundation awarded a total of $275,000 to nonprofit organizations that support many causes, including education, domestic violence prevention, health care, services for the homeless, mentoring and military families.

"This event has always been one of my favorites because it not only highlights the organization that is positively impacting the lives of others in our communities, but it also allows us to shine a spotlight on each organization's most deserving volunteer," Robert Kraft said in a news release issued by the Patriots Foundation. "The stories describing the many volunteers who are nominated each year are inspirational. They serve a reminder of how much good there really is in the world and how committed some people are to making their community a better place."

De la Cruz and her husband founded Community Speaks Out five years ago when their son, Joey Gingerella, was struggling with a pain pill addiction. Gingerella was in recovery when he was fatally shot on Dec. 11, 2016, while assisting a woman who was reportedly being beaten by her boyfriend.

"As I reflect back to the very beginning of my son's struggle with addiction, this award has given me the hope that real change in how we treat the disease of addiction is transforming," de la Cruz said. "Those struggling for years have felt isolated, stigmatized and hopeless. Seeing the transformation of those coming from the darkness to the light has been the most rewarding experience of my life."

Though de la Cruz is a fan of the New York Giants, she said it was awesome to receive a check for Community Speaks Out from the Patriots Foundation.

"This is New England," she said. "You can't really hate the Patriots at heart."

k.florin@theday.com