In a span of nine years, Jeff Wilpon has helped bring a new team to Brooklyn, a new ballpark to Queens and a new
fundraiser to Greenwich. That’s quite a decade, and a lot to be proud of. Yet Wilpon, the Mets chief operating officer and a town resident, humbly shares both the wealth and the accolades — particularly when it comes to the Mets Foundation’s “Teammates in the Community” event to be held Thursday evening. For the third year, the fundraiser returns to Richards, the chic clothing and accessories store on Greenwich Avenue. The goal is to add to the nearly $1.1 million that has already been generated for multiple charities. In 2007, its inaugural year, the event seemed like a no-brainer because it was a way for the Mets players living in the area to assist each other’s charities while also spending an evening close to home. To Wilpon’s delight, nearly the entire roster became involved. “We figured only the guys living close by would show up,” he said.
“But then players like (Jose) Reyes and (Carlos) Beltran approached us. It’s a nice thing and they all must really like it because they want to do it again.”