JACKIE ROBINSON FOUNDATION TO HONOR BRUCE RATNER, HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., CAROLE SIMPSON AND THOMAS TULL AT ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER
Annual Awards Dinner Monday, March 4, 2013 at Waldorf=Astoria
Legendary Entertainer Bill Cosby to Once Again Host Star Studded Gala for
Nation’s Premiere Minority Scholarship and Mentoring Program
The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) announces the recipients of the 2013 ROBIE Awards, to be presented at its Annual Awards Dinner on Monday, March 4 at 6:30pm at New York’s Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. Hosted by legendary entertainer Bill Cosby, the iconic event pays tribute to individuals who embody the humanitarian ideals of Jackie Robinson and raises funds for the Jackie Robinson Foundation. JRF provides generous, four-year college scholarships, graduate school grants, and comprehensive mentoring services to academically-distinguished minority students with financial need and leadership capacity.
As in prior years, the 2013 star-studded event promises to be an unforgettable evening as the Foundation honors four extraordinary trailblazers. The ROBIE Achievement in Industry Award will be presented to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Legendary Pictures, Thomas Tull. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Bruce Ratner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Forest City Ratner Companies. The ROBIE Humanitarian Award will be presented Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute at Harvard University and Carole Simpson, pioneering Network News Anchor and Senior Leader in Residence at Emerson College. The evening will also include a musical performance by award-winning artist Jeffrey Osborne accompanied by the Ray Chew Band featuring Onreé Gill.
“The honorees we celebrate in our 40th year have had an extraordinary impact on society. They have entertained us, enlightened us, revitalized our communities and helped us to uncover our own stories.” said Jackie Robinson Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Della Britton Baeza, “Since the Foundation’s inception, it has been our mission to empower young men and women while addressing the achievement gap in higher education. We are proud to introduce this year’s honorees as role models to our Scholars.”
Over the past three decades, the JRF Annual Awards Dinner has recognized some of the most important names in religion, business, politics, education, media, sports, and the arts, including Desmond Tutu, Marian Wright Edelman, Robin Roberts, Michael Jordan, Sheila C. Johnson, Paul Tagliabue, Johnnetta B. Cole, Allan H.(Bud) Selig, Arthur Ashe, Tom Brokaw, Ella Fitzgerald, Spike Lee, Clive Davis, Henry L. “Hank” Aaron, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ruth J. Simmons, George Lucas, J. W. Marriott, Jr., Robert Redford and John “Jack” Welch, Jr.
2013 Honorees:
ROBIE Award for Achievement in Industry
Thomas Tull
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Legendary Pictures
Thomas Tull will be honored for his outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry as well as his community and the field of education.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Bruce Ratner
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Forest City Ratner Companies
Bruce Ratner will be saluted for his transformative contributions to the renaissance of downtown Brooklyn and the architecture of New York City, as well as his commitment to the arts and our city’s hospitals.
ROBIE Humanitarian Award
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director, W.E.B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University
Gates will be recognized for his incredible commitment to education, civil rights and social justice.
Carole Simpson
Pioneering Network News Anchor & Senior Leader in Residence, Emerson College
Simpson will be honored for her exemplary reporting on the most important issues of our time and her courageous dedication to civil and human rights.
Event sponsors include: Major League Baseball, The Omnicom Group, Praxair, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, The Coca-Cola Company, Credit Suisse AG, Deloitte, Martin L. Edelman, Esq., Fisher Brothers, Ford, General Electric, New Era Cap Co., The New York Mets, Nike, Northrop Grumman, The North Ward Center, Perella Weinberg Partners, The Foundation for Global Sports Development, The Windmill Foundation, Air Products, BNY Mellon, BMO Capital Markets, Brown Shoe Company, Citi, Discovery Communications, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Gregg Gonsalves, Prudential, UBS and Avis Budget Group.
About the Jackie Robinson Foundation:
Established in 1973, the Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) is the nation's premier education and leadership development program. Transcending financial assistance, the Foundation equips its scholarship recipients with a comprehensive set of support services including internship placement, career guidance, and practical life skills, resulting in a nearly 100% graduation rate, more than twice the national average for minority students. The over 1,400 JRF alumni are both leaders in their professional fields and consummate ambassadors of Jackie Robinson's legacy of community service.
For sponsorship opportunities, tickets or additional information rearding the Awards Dinner, please visit http://www.cvent.com/d/fcqx4p or contact the Foundation at (212) 290-8600. Individual tickets are available for $1,500 with tables and sponsorships ranging from $15,000 to $100,000. Advertising opportunities are available in the commemorative Awards Dinner journal for $5,000. For more information about JRF, visit http://www.jackierobinson.org.
Media Contact:
Allison J. Davis
Director of Communications
212-290-8600 ext. 329
