Top Restaurateurs Partner with BWF for Dine Out for Heroes
One-Day-Only Dining Fundraiser Extends Mission of the Bob Woodruff Foundation to Rally the
New York City Restaurant Community and Its Patrons
Legendary New York City restaurateurs Daniel Boulud, Andrew Carmellini, Jeffrey Lefcourt, Drew Nieporent, Simon Oren, Eric Ripert and Jeff Zalaznick, with Bob Grimes and Lockhart Steele, today announced that they will join forces to partner with the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) to launch the first annual “Dine Out for Heroes,” a one-day-only event on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014. Each participating restaurant will donate $1 per patron served to the BWF to help in the organization’s efforts to tackle the serious issues of long-term rehabilitation, care and support of our injured veterans.
Dine Out for Heroes (#Dine4Heroes) a new partnership of the BWF, will take place the day of the annual Stand Up for Heroes event in NYC. Stand Up for Heroes, a collaboration between the BWF and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) has raised more than $21 million to date to support injured service members and their families. Since 2007, Stand Up for Heroes has featured such performers as Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Bill Cosby, Jim Gaffigan, Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Conan O’Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Robin Williams and more. Now in its eighth year, the Stand Up for Heroes event will kick off the 2014 NYCF this November.
“We’ve always been so proud of Stand Up for Heroes, and I am looking forward to the inaugural year of Dine Out for Heroes. We have seen what can happen when a movement of generosity inspires thousands more to act, and we know the New York community will come together to salute our injured service members and their families yet again,” said Bob Woodruff, ABC News journalist who co-founded the Bob Woodruff Foundation after he was critically injured by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle while reporting from Iraq.
It is anticipated that hundreds of New York–area restaurants will join the Dine Out for Heroes initiative. By pledging to donate $1 per patron, participating restaurants will be part of an industry-wide movement to support the injured and their families as they integrate back into society. In addition, participating restaurants will encourage diners to donate to the BWF by visiting the organization’s website—at bobwoodrufffoundation.org. The first year goal of ‘Dine Out for Heroes’ is, as its mission states, to “Dine. Donate. Honor. Heal.” by raising money and awareness for this worthy cause, as Stand Up for Heroes has done over the last seven years.
‘Dine Out for Heroes’ is spearheaded by Peter and Penny Glazier, founders of The Glazier Group of restaurants; Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox, founders of the New York Comedy Festival;
Cristyne Nicholas, CEO of Nicholas & Lence Communications and John Cahill, CEO of McCann Health. McCann Health, part of McCann Worldgroup, has generously committed senior level creative services and campaign tactics to support, advertise and promote the program on a pro-bono basis.
“Dine Out for Heroes offers the New York restaurant community a way to say thank you to the brave service men and women who have given us so much,” said Penny Glazier, of The Glazier Group of restaurants. “Partnering with the BWF has allowed us to create an opportunity to collectively raise funds and awareness for the BWF, as exemplified by the success of Stand Up for Heroes. We are excited to launch this new initiative with Caroline and Andrew and be joined by so many legends of the restaurant industry.”
“When we conceived Stand Up for Heroes seven years ago, we had high hopes for raising awareness and funds for the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The outpouring of support has far exceeded our greatest expectations, and we can only anticipate ‘Dine Out for Heroes’ being just as successful,” said, Caroline Hirsch BWF board member and founder of the New York Comedy Festival.
Together, these efforts will continue to honor the sacrifice of returning service members, veterans and their families by offering support in the effort to heal the physical and psychological wounds of war. To date, the BWF has invested more than $21 million in more than 100 organizations nationwide.
About the Bob Woodruff Foundation
The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) is the nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that post-9/11 injured service members, veterans and their families thrive long after they return home. A national organization with grassroots reach, the Bob Woodruff Foundation complements the work of the federal government—diligently navigating the maze of more than 40,000 nonprofits providing services to veterans—to find, fund and shape innovative programs and hold them accountable for results. To date, BWF has invested more than $21 million in solutions, reaching more than 1 million service members, support personnel, veterans and their families. The Bob Woodruff Foundation was co-founded in 2006 by award-winning ABC news anchor Bob Woodruff and his family, whose experiences when Woodruff was injured while embedded in Iraq inspired them to help make sure the nation’s heroes have access to the highest level of support and resources they deserve, for as long as they need them.
