BOSTON -- The moment that Josh Beckett heard his friend tell him about his son going through, and eventually succumbing to cancer, the Red Sox righty knew he had to do something.
And that something was creating the "Beckett Bowl" celebrity bowling tournament, an off-shoot of the highly successful "Nomar Bowl" -- first created by former Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra.

Beckett started the event in 2007, inspired by the story of his friend, Mark Goldstein, whose son, David, lost his battle with cancer.

"It was more his outlook on getting to spend enough time with his son," Beckett said. "After his son passed away, he told me that he got to spend 14 more years with David than he thought he was going to and what doctors had told him."

The second annual "Beckett Bowl" to benefit The Beckett Foundation and the Boston Children's Hospital will take place on Thursday night at Town Line Ten Pin Lanes in Malden, Mass. Last year, Beckett's feature event raised some $200,000 for local charities and the Children's Hospital.

"That kind of touched me, just with his outlook," Beckett continued on Monday afternoon. "I can't imagine going through that. Obviously, I don't have kids right now, but I can't imagine my parents going through that with one of their kids or me going through that with a brother.

"I think it was his outlook and that's what kind of raised this. He's from Boston, and he went to the Children's Hospital and we play in Boston, it was fitting. It worked perfect for us."

Confirmed guests include Beckett's teammates David Ortiz, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield, Mike Lowell, Javier Lopez and David Aardsma. Other entertainment and sports celebrities include Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of the legendary hip-hop trio "Run DMC;" Boston Bruins players -- Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Shawn Thornton, Mark Stuart, Jeremy Reich and Aaron Ward -- former New England Patriot Max Lane; and New England Revolution star goalkeeper Matt Reis.

The Josh Beckett Foundation is a charitable organization, also established in 2007, to support community-based programs that strive to improve the health and well-being of children, especially kids that are seriously ill, disabled, poor or otherwise disadvantaged.

Beckett said his foundation provides him with an opportunity to have a direct and permanent impact on the lives of children throughout the New England area and in his hometown of Spring, Texas. More information on the "Beckett Bowl" and his foundation can be found at http://joshbeckettfoundation.org.

Mike Petraglia is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs