Stars Celebrate the Importance of Youth Sports at Second Annual Up2Us Gala
New York, NY (PRWEB) April 16, 2014 -- Up2Us (up2us.org), a New York based not-for-profit organization, will be holding its second annual gala dinner at Mercedes-Benz Manhattan on Wednesday, May 14. The event, which raised nearly $500,000 last year, will benefit the organization's mission to advance sports and highly trained coach-mentors as the solution to the obesity, violence and educational challenges facing America's youth today. College basketball analyst Bill Raftery will emcee the event. Up2Us’ Legacy Award will be presented to two committed supporters of Up2Us, Paul Tagliabue, former Commissioner of the National Football League, and Stephen Cannon, president and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz USA.
The evening will bring professional athletes, celebrities and other VIPs together as they celebrate the very important work that Up2Us does in communities across the nation. Celebrities lending support for this event include Sandra Bernhard, Jennifer Carpenter, Kristin Davis, Sasha DiGiulian, Desiree Gruber, Laird Hamilton, John Henson, Michele Hicks, Kyle MacLachlan, Jonny Lee Miller, Gretchen Mol, Jennifer Esposito, Nate Berkus, Gabrielle Reece, Taylor Schilling, Debra Messing, Naomi Watts and Robin Wright.
With Mr. Tagliabue’s help, Up2Us became a registered 501(c)(3) organization in 2010 and through Covington & Burling LLP, he continues to support Up2Us by providing pro-bono legal counsel. In his role as a board member for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA, Mr. Cannon helps financially support Up2Us’ groundbreaking Coach Across America program, which last year impacted more than 50,000 youth across the country.
"Today’s youth, especially those living in some of our most underserved communities, face many challenges. They live in a world that expects a lot from them but doesn’t always give them the tools and support they need to be able to make the right decisions. That’s why the work we do is so important. We are honored by the generous support we’ve received from our corporate sponsors and individual donors since establishing this movement four years ago. And while our work is not done, it is important to take time out to recognize the many people who make this all possible, people like Paul and Steve,” said Paul Caccamo, founder and president of Up2Us. “Our second gala will bring together those who believe in the power of sports and its ability to inspire the next generation to realize their potential.”
The red carpet event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a VIP reception; followed by dinner and the awards program at 7:30 p.m. Up2Us will also honor Coach Israel Frank from the Coach Across America program for his exceptional service and dedication to counseling and supporting at-risk youth.
The second annual Up2Us gala is open to the public; individual tickets start at $1,000 and tables of ten at $10,000 and are available for purchase at http://www.up2us.org or call 212-763-8599.
For press credentials email press@(at)p2us(dot)org.
About Up2Us
Established in 2010, Up2Us (http://www.up2us.org) is leading a national movement to advance sports as a solution to the critical challenges facing today's youth, including childhood obesity, academic failure and youth violence. Up2Us accomplishes its mission by uniting more than 750 sports programs that provide life skills development to this nation's most vulnerable youth. In 2010, Up2Us launched Coach Across America (CAA) to provide its member organizations with well-trained, highly effective coaches. CAA is the first national program that challenges young adults to give back to their communities through a year of service as coach-mentors. To date, Up2Us has placed more than 1,700 CAA coach-mentors nationwide, reaching over 133,650 children. Up2Us is supported by Mercedes-Benz USA, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA, Nike Inc., the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Justice.
###
Christine Simmons, LFPR (on behalf of Up2Us), +1 (949) 502-6200 Ext: 320, [email protected]
Share this article