October 12, 2006
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On Tuesday, October 24th, The Catalog for Giving(R) of New York City, a not-for-profit organization, will celebrate the lives of 10 extraordinary New York City kids ages 11 to 21 at the 11th Annual Urban Heroes Awards. Celebrity presenters include Russell Simmons, Tamara Tunie of Law & Order: SVU and VH1 personality and Barneys New York creative director, Simon Doonan. The awards ceremony will take place at Pier Sixty at the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex on 23rd Street in Manhattan.
Through the Urban Heroes Awards, The Catalog for Giving highlights courageous inner-city kids who, through their participation in programs funded by The Catalog, have overcome adversity such as poverty, homelessness, drugs or violence. Among those honored will be an 11-year-old aspiring figure skater in Harlem, a young Brooklyn woman who became the first in her family to complete high school, and a young Bronx man who, after experiencing violence first hand, became a leader to prevent it. “Just a few years ago, some of the kids now being recognized had been involved with gangs and crime—their very lives were at risk,” said Susan Wyant, executive director of The Catalog for Giving. “Through The Catalog and its programs, these young adults transformed their lives and the lives of others and became Urban Heroes.”
This year’s event will also honor one of The Catalog’s former Urban Heroes, Chris “Kazi” Rolle, founder of The Hip Hop Project. Chris was a teenager at a “last chance” alternative New York City high school when he was introduced to Art Start, which was then a Catalog supported program. In 1999 with Art Start’s help, Chris formed The Hip Hop Project which introduces young people to the music industry. The intensive program teaches students about budgets, how to write, produce, record and distribute their music. Chris’ life story, from his roots as an abandoned child and homeless teenager to youth advocate and entertainer, inspired the feature-length documentary, The Hip Hop Project.
For 11 years, The Catalog for Giving® of New York City has chosen Urban Heroes from the non-profit programs it supports. The Catalog funds, for a period of three years, non-profit organizations serving at-risk youth in New York City. “As these organizations are able to raise their own funds, they ‘graduate’ from The Catalog making resources available to other programs in need,” said Ms. Wyant. The groups receive 100% of contributions made to The Catalog. The Catalog’s board covers all its own administrative expenses. Since its inception in 1994, The Catalog for Giving® of New York City has raised over $8 million.
The Catalog’s 11th Annual Urban Heroes Awards will honor participants in Added Value & Herban Solutions, CitySquash, Community-Word Project, Figure Skating in Harlem, Free Arts NYC, Global Action Project, iMentor, Leave Out ViolencE (LOVE), Urban Dove and Youth Advocacy Center.
For more information, contact Monica Orbe at (212) 272-9294 or email morbe@bear.com. To purchase tickets, call (212) 765-8212 or visit www.urbanheroes.org.
About The Catalog for Giving of New York City
The mission of The Catalog for Giving is to transform the lives of New York City children and teens whose opportunities are severely limited by poverty, crime, drugs and violence. The Catalog identifies, funds and supports emerging local organizations that use extraordinary approaches to set disadvantaged young people on new paths to success. Expenses of The Catalog for Giving are funded by its board of directors, so that 100 percent of donations go to the featured organizations and the young people they serve. Since its inception in 1994, The Catalog has raised millions of dollars for its programs and helped transform the lives of more than 50,000 children across the five boroughs. www.cfgnyc.org.
Contacts
For The Catalog for Giving of New York City:
Monica Orbe, 212-272-9294
morbe@bear.com
