Tony Bennett, Jerry Seinfeld, and Bruce Springsteen Join Forces with The Bob Woodruff Foundation and The New York Comedy Festival to Stand Up for Heroes Hosted by Jon Stewart

NEW YORK, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) partner for the fourth consecutive year to present Stand Up for Heroes at the Beacon Theatre in New York on Wednesday, November 3rd at 8 p.m.  Jon Stewart will host the night of music and comedy— the traditional kick off of the New York Comedy Festival — which will feature special performances by Tony Bennett, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, The 4Troops and other surprise guests.  American Express ® Cardmembers can get advance tickets on Thursday, September 16, 2010 from 10:00am – 10:00pm.  Tickets for the general public go on sale on Friday, September 17 through www.remind.org, www.ticketmaster.com, www.beacontheatre.com, or www.nycomedyfestival.com.  Guests may also purchase VIP Benefit Tickets by emailing [email protected].  All VIP tickets start at $1,000.00 per ticket.  Corporate sponsor packages can be purchased by emailing [email protected].

Part of the Bob Woodruff Foundation's nationally recognized public education movement, Stand Up for Heroes brings together leaders from business, entertainment and philanthropy to raise funds to help injured service members and their families as they return to their communities.   Stand Up for Heroes has become a highly anticipated entertainment event as well as a much-needed respite for the hundreds of military families who are selected to attend.

For the fourth consecutive year, all living presidents support Stand Up for Heroes.  President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, President William J. Clinton, President George H. W. Bush, President James E. Carter, and serve as the Presidential Committee for this year's event.   Major television network executives, Anne Sweeney and Philip Miller (ABC), Jeff and Caryn Zucker (NBC), David and Sherrie Westin (ABC), Sean and Tracy McManus (CBS), Richard and Lisa Plepler (HBO), John Klein and Jennifer Snell (CNN), Ken and Kristin Jautz (CNN), and, join the Presidents as event co-chairs.

"Stand Up for Heroes transcends politics. We're proud that, together with the Bob Woodruff Foundation, people in communities everywhere are standing up for our troops who have stood so bravely for us," said Bob and Lee Woodruff, the Foundation's co-founders. "With many service men and women now returning home, it's essential we give them the smoothest transition possible," they added.

"We are honored to again be standing up for heroes with Bob and Lee Woodruff and The Bob Woodruff Foundation.   With the support of our talented comedians and performers, we hope to continue raising awareness and funds for U.S. service members and their families," says Caroline Hirsch, founder of the Festival and owner of Carolines on Broadway.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested more than six million dollars in program spending to help wounded warriors and their families overcome the challenges they face as they transition and heal from the physical and hidden wounds of war.  Funds raised at Stand Up for Heroes will be invested in programs that connect troops to the help they need — from physical rehabilitation and counseling, to education, employment and financial assistance, to help with larger issues like homelessness and suicide.  

"As the war in Iraq comes to a close and the war in Afghanistan persists, the challenges our nation's service members and their families face continue. As Americans we must Stand Up to give them successful futures in honor of their sacrifices," said Rene Bardorf, Executive Director, Bob Woodruff Foundation.  

Now in its seventh year, The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), in association with COMEDY CENTRAL, will take place November 3rd thru 7th in New York City with Stand Up for Heroes as the kick-off event.  The five-day festival will continue with an all-star line-up featuring some of the biggest names in the industry including Aziz Ansari, Adam Carolla, Margaret Cho, Louis CK, Kevin Hart, Gabriel Iglesias, Luis Jimenez, Maz Jobrani, Joel McHale, Rosie O'Donnell, Brian Regan and Nick Swardson.   They will be joined by more than 150 other comedians performing at iconic New York City venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Beacon Theatre, Town Hall and Avery Fisher Hall.

ABOUT THE BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION:

The Bob Woodruff Foundation provides resources and support to service members, veterans and their families to successfully reintegrate into their communities so they may thrive physically, psychologically, socially and economically.  Through a public education movement called ReMIND.org, the Bob Woodruff Foundation helps educate the public about the needs of service members returning from war — especially the 1 in 5 service members who have sustained hidden injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury and Combat Stress, including Post Traumatic Stress, Depression and Anxiety — and empowers communities nationwide to take action.   Across the country, the Bob Woodruff Foundation collaborates with other organizations and experts to identify and solve issues related to the return of service members from combat to civilian life and invests in programs that connect our troops to the help they need — from individual needs like physical accommodations, medical care and counseling, to larger social issues like homelessness and suicide.   To date, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested over $6 million, reaching more than 500,000 service members, support personnel, veterans and their families nationwide.

SUFH sponsors include GFI Group Inc., NBC Universal, art of grace, Brown-Forman, Force Protection Inc, Disney-ABC Television Group.

For sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

For more information about the Bob Woodruff Foundation please visit www.ReMIND.org

ABOUT THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL:

The New York Comedy Festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway and United Entertainment Group in association with Comedy Central. The festival has featured some of the country's top comedians, including Bill Maher, Tracy Morgan, Dane Cook, Sarah Silverman, Artie Lange, Katt Williams, Steven Wright, Denis Leary, and Joy Behar, to name a few.   In 2007, the festival launched the Stand Up for Heroes event to benefit the Bob Woodruff Foundation.  

NYCF media sponsors include Time Out New York and the New York Post. Jameson…Taste Above All Else is the official Whiskey, B.R. Guest is a signature partner, Travelocity is the official travel sponsor of the 2010 New York Comedy Festival, and Energizer and Buick are supporting sponsors.  

For more information on each event and to purchase tickets, please visit  www.nycomedyfestival.com.

SOURCE FRANK PUBLICITY