The Bob Woodruff Foundation and New York Comedy Festival Present the First-Ever Virtual Stand Up for Heroes

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stand Up for Heroes (SUFH), New York's highly anticipated night of hope, healing and laughter honoring our nation's veterans and their families, is going virtual for the first time in its 14 year history, and will air on ABC News Live, TikTok, Facebook, Cheddar, Twitch and Armed Forces Network on Wednesday, November 18^th at 9:00 p.m. EST. The event will raise awareness and funds for the Bob Woodruff Foundation, whose mission to help veterans and military families thrive is especially vital as veterans face increased challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stand Up for Heroes is presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival and is brought to you by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and Veterans on Wall Street, led by Citi, HSBC Bank, and Wells Fargo, and supported by Vehicles for Veterans.

Hosted by Jon Stewart, SUFH will feature performances by comedians and musicians including Nate Bargatze, Ronny Chieng, Sheryl Crow, Mickey Guyton, Tiffany Haddish, Brad Paisley, Patti Scialfa, Iliza Shlesinger, and Bruce Springsteen, with special guests including Jeannie Gaffigan, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Ray Romano, and more. The event will also highlight inspiring moments, memorable surprises, and stories of resilience while recognizing the men and women who have served in our nation's military.

"For the last 14 years, the Stand Up for Heroes event has continued to inspire our nation and serves as a reminder of all of the brave individuals that have defended our country selflessly in our military," said Bob Woodruff, ABC News correspondent and co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. "This year, it is especially important that we unite to show support for their sacrifices as we come together virtually to stand up for our heroes."

"We're extremely honored and proud to continue our partnership with the Bob Woodruff Foundation to present Stand Up for Heroes," said Caroline Hirsch, founder and owner of the New York Comedy Festival and Carolines on Broadway.  "We owe so much to our brave military veterans and their families for the service and sacrifice to our country; it's very humbling to have the opportunity to honor them over the last 14 years through this great event."

For over a decade, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has been a change-maker in the veteran space, forging partnerships and uniting leaders at the highest levels of government, military, business and philanthropy. Since its start, BWF has invested more than $75 million to find, fund and shape the most innovative programs supporting our heroes, touching the lives of veterans and their families across the country. In 2020, the foundation awarded over $6 million in grants to best-in-class programs nationwide.

"Every year, Stand Up for Heroes is an awesome night of music, laughter and inspiration, all to celebrate and support the veteran community. This year, we're thrilled that we can share this incredible evening with the entire world," said Anne Marie Dougherty, Chief Executive Officer of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. "Our foundation is dedicated to making sure veterans and their families have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive after military service, and we're excited to share their stories and our mission along with a big dose of the joy and laughter we all need these days."

SUFH has seen immense talent over the past 14 years, including comedians and performers such as Tony Bennett, Jimmy Carr, Ronnie Chieng, Eric Church, Stephen Colbert, Sheryl Crow, Jim Gaffigan, Ricky Gervais, Whoopi Goldberg, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O'Brien, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Ray Romano and Robin Williams.

The 14^th annual Stand Up for Heroes event airs on Wednesday, November 18 at 9:00 p.m. EST on ABC News Live, TikTok, Facebook, Cheddar, Twitch and Armed Forces Network. Please visit www.BobWoodruffFoundation.org/StandUp for more information.

This year's event is produced by Chantel Sausedo along with  Jesse Collins Entertainment, known for producing television's most memorable performances in music entertainment like the BET Awards and specials including John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Farewell, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today and the upcoming 2021 Super Bowl Halftime show. 

Executive producers include David Clark, Jesse Collins, Anne Marie Dougherty, Andrew Fox, Dionne Harmon, Caroline Hirsch, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay and Bob Woodruff. The event is made possible by its partners: Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Veterans on Wall Street led by Citi, HSBC Bank, and Wells Fargo, Vehicles for Veterans, Phillip Morris International, The Steven & Alexandria Cohen Foundation, Toyota, Barclays, PayPal, Salesforce, The Embassy of The State of Qatar, Bank of The West, BNP Paribas, BlackRock, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Citadel, Prudential, The Barbara Bradley Baekgaard Family Foundation, UFC, Wells Fargo Foundation, Academy Securities, AmeriVet Securities, BASF, Capitolis, Eurex, Intercontinental Exchange, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Macquarie Group, MetLife, PGIM FIXED INCOME, Roberts & Ryan, Santander Bank, Senator, TD Ameritrade, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), and Tudor Investment Corporation.

ABOUT STAND UP FOR HEROES
Stand Up for Heroes launched in 2007 as the brainchild of Bob and Lee Woodruff and New York Comedy Festival founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox, and is one of New York's most anticipated nights of hope, healing and laughter, honoring our nation's injured veterans and their families. Since its inception in 2007, SUFH has raised more than $55 million to create long-lasting, positive outcomes for our nation's injured veterans, service members and their families.  Stand Up for Heroes continues to expand and grow due to its remarkable success. Beginning at Town Hall, the event moved to the Beacon Theater in 2010, and to the Theater at Madison Square Garden in 2013. Over the past 14 years, comedians and performers including Stephen Colbert, Jim Gaffigan, Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Ray Romano and Robin Williams have taken the stage to advocate for our extraordinary service members. Stand Up for Heroes is presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF). 

ABOUT THE BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION
The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was hit by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has led an enduring call to action for people to stand up for heroes and meet the emerging and long-term needs of today's veterans. To date, BWF has invested more than $75 million to Find, Fund and Shape™ programs that have empowered impacted veterans, service members and their family members, across the nation. For more information, please visit bobwoodrufffoundation.org or follow us on Twitter at @Stand4Heroes.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL
The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) is produced by Carolines on Broadway. The festival has featured the country's top comedians, including Judd Apatow, Hannibal Buress, Bill Burr, Margaret Cho, Billy Crystal, Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Kathy Griffin, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo, Norm Macdonald, Bill Maher, Tig Notaro, Nick Offerman, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, and Wanda Sykes, to name a few. In 2007, the festival launched the "Stand Up for Heroes" event to benefit The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which has featured performances by Stephen Colbert, Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, John Mulaney, Trevor, Noah, John Oliver, Conan O'Brien, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ray Romano, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, and Robin Williams, among others. To date, the "Stand Up for Heroes" events have raised over $55 million.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT
Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company and has played an integral role in producing many of television's most memorable moments in music entertainment.  JCE has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks.  On the theatrical film side, the company also has a first look on JCE's film development projects which could include Viacom's film entities such as Paramount Players.  The award-winning and critically acclaimed television that JCE has produced includes miniseries—The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story; scripted series—American Soul and Real Husbands of Hollywood; children's series—Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; award shows—BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF's An Evening of Stars, BET Hip Hop Awards, ABFF Honors and Soul Train Awards; specials—John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Farewell, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales I Be Knowin', Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine; as well as competition/game shows—Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares, Nashville Squares and Rhythm & Flow.  Jesse Collins, founder & CEO of the company, is the executive producer of all programming and is also a producer for the iconic Grammy Awards.  He will next executive produce The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show.  Go to jessecollinsent.com for more information on the company.

SOURCE Bob Woodruff Foundation

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