Stay Classy Awards
Stay Classy Awards
On Saturday September 17, San Diego will host the 3rd annual Stay Classy Awards. In case you are aware of this innovative event:
- “the CLASSY Awards is the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, recognizing the most outstanding philanthropic achievements by charities, businesses and individuals nationwide. StayClassy has published each nomination as it’s own article on the CLASSY Awards Achievement Blog to put a national spotlight on these amazing stories of achievement. Starting July 25th, America will vote for one winner in each of the 12 categories. The winners will be announced live during a Hollywood-esque award ceremony in San Diego, CA, similar in style to the Academy Awards, but philanthropy-inspired.”
Yep, that’s how we roll. The Classy Awards have given national and international recognition to some of the best organizations and individuals out there making a difference in the lives of others.
If you need a little guidance from someone who’s been blogging about charities for years, my picks are easy:
Charity of the Year: Cancer for College
Most Effective Awareness Campaign: Invisible Children
Philanthropic Business of the Year: One Hope Wine
Volunteer of the Year: Nanubhai founder Raj Shah
You can cast your votes and get tickets to the event HERE.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Waterman’s Weekend Environmental Fundraiser
Waterman’s Weekend Environmental Fundraiser
***Event Alert***
The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) will honor big wave surfing champion Greg Long as Waterman of the Year, former Malibu mayor and environmental stalwart Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner as Environmentalist of the Year, and Hawaiian big wave pioneer and legendary shaper George Downing with the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award, as part of the association’s annual Waterman’s Weekend environmental fundraiser.
The 2011 Waterman’s Weekend will be held August 11-12th and will raise funds for 20 ocean conservation organizations. The weekend begins Thursday, August 11, with the Waterman’s Classic Golf Tournament at the Monarch Beach Golf Links, and culminates on Friday, August 12, with the 22nd annual Waterman’s Ball and auction to be held at The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Calif.
“The SIMA Board of Directors and Environmental Fund are proud to honor Greg, Jay and George at the 22nd annual Waterman’s Ball,” said Paul Naude, Chairman of the Waterman’s Weekend Event Committee and President of the SIMA Environmental Fund Board of Directors. “All of the honorees have undoubtedly earned our respect and appreciation for their accomplishments in and out of the water, and for the influence they have had on the sport and culture of surfing.”
Waterman of the Year, Greg Long, is often referred to as “the best young big wave surfer on the planet.” He’s won the 2003 Red Bull Big Wave Africa; 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest; 2009 winner Quiksilver Eddie Aikau…has become one of only two surfers in the world to be invited to all three major big wave paddle events…and when he’s not tackling the world’s biggest waves, Long gives back to the community by giving motivational presentations to schools and community groups, as well as through his involvement in environmental organizations including Surfrider, Save the Waves, Wildcoast and The San Onofre Foundation.
Environmentalist of the Year, Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner, is a longtime advocate and protector of one of surfing’s sacred spots – Malibu. In addition to owning a surf shop and formerly serving as the city’s mayor, Zuma Jay is dedicated to the fight to preserve Malibu’s beaches and keep its waters clean…he is currently promoting the restoration of Malibu lagoon, and worked with the California Coastal Commission and the Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbors to establish Malibu as the 1st World Surfing Reserve.
For decades this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, George Downing, has been a leader in the surf industry and community…he’s a major stud in the surf industry, with a resume that includes constructing what is known as the first board for truly big surf… he serves as the president of the Surfing Education Association which is dedicated to the preservation of our oceans, coral reefs, waves and beaches…and has just secured himself a spot in the Surfers Hall of Fame.
The two-day fundraising event benefits the SIMA Environmental Fund, a 501©(3) charitable foundation that awards grants to various environmental groups based on their dedication to preserving and protecting the world’s oceans, beaches and waves. Last year’s event attracted more than 700 people and raised more than $400,000 for 19 ocean conservation groups.
MORE: SIMA.COM
I hope to see you all there~
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Celebrities & Charities: Inaugural Noble Humanitarian Awards
Inaugural Noble Humanitarian Awards
Finally, an awards show that doesn’t recognize how well you act but rather how well you act towards others…on October 18, 2009, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the charity community and its brigade of Hollywood supporters will gain global recognition when the inaugural Noble Humanitarian Awards takes place…The two-hour event, produced on behalf of the non-profit Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation, seeks to annually honor up to a dozen charities and celebrities who actively support them, elevating awareness of these organizations and the impact of their work inaugural Noble Humanitarian Award.
Inaugural charity honorees include: The Art of Elysium, Best Buddies, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, DoSomething.org, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Keep a Child Alive, The Salvation Army, Stand Up To Cancer and Women’s Sports Foundation.
This is huge on so many levels…while we do have other ‘humanitarian’ awards out there that earn some media attention- this one isn’t going to fly under the radar. Think ESPY’s meet the OSCARS…it’s brilliant, and necessary…Celebrities will be accepting awards on behalf of the charities being honored…a few examples include: Laila Ali: Women’s Sports Foundation, Jessica Biel: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Alicia Keyes: Keep a Child Alive, Joel Madden: The Art of Elysium and Brett Ratner: DoSomething.org.
During the ceremony, each will be presented with the trophy award, designed by Antonio Banderas, with personal touches added by children who participated in The Art of Elysium workshop at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children. Other performers and presenters will be announced closer to the event.
Props to Janeen Mansour, the creator and executive producer of the Noble Humanitarian Awards. “Celebrities have long given their time to charity, championing causes they feel passionate about. Their support draws media coverage, and organizations benefit. With the Noble Awards, we aim to turn the spotlight back onto these celebrities and charities in an effort to provide recognition, to educate, to inspire, and to encourage even more support from the Hollywood community and the public at large. It’s an annual celebration of service and volunteerism,” explains Mansour.
The Noble Humanitarian Awards are produced on behalf of the Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation, a 501©3 non-profit organization. With the staging of the first annual awards on October 18, 2009, the Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation will launch a year-round campaign to better unify the efforts of charities with celebrities, influencers, media and everyday citizens in order to create an effective forum for change and service. For more information, please visit www.thenobleawards.org.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
James Blake Given Humanitarian Award
James Blake Given Humanitarian Award
We all enjoyed watching James Blake bathe in a tub of Evian water and bounce that beautiful booty around the tennis court, but now I think its time to give him a little love for his off-court endeavors.
Prior to the Sony Open in Florida, the ATP handed out their awards and James Blake rightfully won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award for his charitable efforts.
Last summer, Blake created the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in memory of his father. The Blake Research Fund invests money in leading-edge science in order to ‘speed up the most promising work and shorten the time it takes to turn laboratory discoveries into better treatments for patients’. 100% of every dollar donated to the Fund goes directly to cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.
This also marks the 5th year of Blake’s J-Block program…fans purchase J-Block merchandise and 100% of the gross proceeds are donated to charity. To date, more than $100,000 has been raised through J-Block merchandise sales…kinda makes you feel good about buying a T-shirt don’t it?
Anthem LIVE! is another one of Blake’s charity endeavors. The annual charity tennis exhibition, which is hosted by hot stuff himself, also supports cancer research programs including the Blake Research Fund. And despite his busy schedule, Blake always finds time to help to raise funds for the Harlem Junior Tennis Program and hosts the organization’s annual fundraising event each year. No surprise there – as Blake decided to pursue a career in tennis after listening to Arthur Ashe speak at an event for the Harlem Junior Tennis Program.
All this…and I didn’t even have to mention the fact that James Blake overcame a broken back, partial paralysis and blurred vision while maintaining his form on the court. For more on that, you can read his book, ‘Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life’ or visit James Blake Tennis, for more info on how you can donate to the Fund, buy a cool T and support this truly fine beast on his quest to better this world.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Lewis Hamilton Gets Waxed and Is Awarded a MBE?
Lewis Hamilton Gets Waxed and Is Awarded a MBE?
And yet another one of my favorites, Lewis Hamilton, has been immortalized in wax. Yes, the youngest and first black Formula 1 World Champion has landed smack dab on display at Madame Tussauds in London. “He has undoubtedly won a place in the nation’s hearts for his determination and single mindedness and a place at Madame Tussauds for an amazing track record,” said a spokesperson for the London attraction. The wax-figure took around six months to create and cost about $210,000 to make…
In other Lewis Hamilton news, the beast was awarded an ‘MBE’ earlier this month…in efforts to understand the meaning of an MBE, I did some research into it and ended up getting a very confusing history lesson.
- The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are: Knight Grand Cross (GBE) or Dame Grand Cross (GBE); Knight Commander (KBE) or Dame Commander (DBE); Commander (CBE); Officer (OBE); Member (MBE).
Essentially, they are the ones who ‘Knight’ people, give out medals and add the ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’ in front of someone’s name. And even though Hamilton’s lowly ranking in the Order doesn’t qualify him as a Knight just yet, I’m gonna continue to call him Sir Lewis.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Cristiano Ronaldo is THE Player of the Year
Cristiano Ronaldo is THE Player of the Year
No, its not a new boy band….it’s the nominees for the FIFA World player 2008…from left to right: Spain’s Xavi, Spain’s Fernando Torres, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazils’ Kaka. The winner? No surprise here, we all knew Ronaldo was gonna top last years’ winner, Kaka, at the Zurich Opera House today…and so it was-the world football’s governing body honored Man-U’s Cristiano Ronaldo with the Player of the Year Award-making him the first English Premier League player to win in its 18-year history.
“It is a dream for me to get this prize because I want to bring the team and my country forward,” Ronaldo said. “I would like to dedicate it to my family. This is the most important thing to me.” Ronaldo garnered 935 votes in a worldwide poll of team captains and coaches. He was followed by Barcelona and Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi (678 votes) and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres (203), with the results announced by Brazilian great Pele. “It is an overwhelming moment, a very special moment in my life,” Ronaldo said in his acceptance speech. “I would like to say to my mother and sister that the fireworks can be fired off now.”
I got some love for Chelsea running through my veins, so it does pain me to give praise to anything Man-U related …but in this case, Cristiano’s 42 goals in a season and the fact that he led the team to the Premier League and Champions League titles in May is enough to make me (one-day) cheer for Man-U. In addition to being named FIFA’s Player of the Year…Ronaldo also won the Ballon D’Or as European player of the year and World Soccer magazine’s player of the year…guess we can call him the player of the year-but not the driver of the year?
In case you were under a rock last week, hot stuff totaled his Ferrari after he collided with a roadside barrier in a tunnel near Manchester airport as he was driving to training on Thursday morning. Of course, superman was unhurt.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com