Centerplate Raises Over $300,000 to Fight Homelessness With Baltimore's "The Journey Home"

BALTIMORE, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Centerplate, the leading hospitality partner to North America's premier sports stadiums, entertainment venues and convention centers, is proud to announce the final fundraising results from "An Evening of Unexpected Delights," of over $300,000 generated for Baltimore's "The Journey Home," Baltimore's 10-year plan to end homelessness. The gala event, hosted by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake at the Baltimore Convention Center, and catered by Centerplate, surprised guests with the "Unexpected" appearance of recording star Jewel, and former Baltimore Ravens and future Hall-of-Fame football star Jonathan Ogden.

All proceeds from the benefit will provide funding for two critical Journey Home priorities: an employment program that will operate out of three emergency shelters and the hiring of coordinators to support the academic and social needs of the 1,000 homeless youth living in shelters.

"An Evening of Unexpected Delights" was a progressive evening of dining, dancing and entertainment surprises, including an intimate musical event with one of America's most celebrated, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriters, Jewel. Jewel sang her hit song "Hands" while photos of homelessness played behind her. In the early '90s, Jewel was homeless and living out of her car while gaining recognition by playing in coffeehouses.

"On behalf of our 30,000 employees across North America, especially those in Maryland and at the Baltimore Convention Center, it is with great pleasure that we commit here and now to chairing this event again next year and bringing even more people 'safely home,'" said Des Hague, President and CEO of Centerplate.  

"I would like to personally thank Desmond Hague and Centerplate for their generous support of our efforts to make homelessness rare and brief in Baltimore," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "Centerplate's contribution will go a long way to support critical priorities under the Journey Home plan including employment training, placement services and education support for youth experiencing homelessness."

Centerplate firmly believes in community involvement and takes pride in our efforts to serve the communities in which we live and work and is deeply committed to giving back to the community.  For this event, Centerplate provided our services at cost, as well as a generous cash donation to defray the expense of entertainment for the event.  

About Centerplate

Centerplate crafts and delivers "Craveable Experiences. Raveable Results." in over 250 prominent entertainment, sports and convention venues across North America -- annually serving over 100 million guests. Centerplate has provided event hospitality services to 15 official U.S. Presidential Inaugural Balls, 12 Super Bowls, 20 World Series, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and the largest plated dinner in history at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Celebration. The company was recently named the fastest growing hospitality group in the country by Nation's Restaurant News. Visit the company online at www.centerplate.com.

SOURCE Centerplate

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