Sep 9, 2022   SOURCE: BusinessWire

16th Annual Stand Up for Heroes, Presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival, Returns to Kick off the 2022 NYCF

Stand Up for Heroes (SUFH), New York’s highly anticipated night of hope, healing and laughter, presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), returns for its 16th annual celebration to honor our nation’s impacted veterans and their families, and to kick off the 2022 NYCF on November 7, at 8:00 p.m. ET at David Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. SUFH will feature performances by comedians and musicians including Amber Iman, The Lumineers, Hasan Minhaj, Jeff Ross, Iliza Shlesinger, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart 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. SUFH raises awareness and funds for the Bob Woodruff Foundation, whose mission is to find, fund, shape, and accelerate equitable solutions that help the veteran and military community thrive.

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Stand Up for Heroes is sponsored by Bread Financial and presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival. In addition to Bread Financial, support for Stand Up for Heroes is brought to you by Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Vehicles for Veterans, HSBC, UBS, Citi, Fortress, Barclays, PMI, RBC Capital Markets, Assured Guaranty, Balyasny Asset Management, BlackRock, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Citadel, Academy Securities, AmeriVet Securities, Ares, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard Foundation, CME Group, Drexel Hamilton, JPMorgan Chase, Macquarie, MetLife, Santander, Skadden, Slate Asset Management, Union Square Advisors, Amazon, and Progyny.

“After an incredible in person return last year, we are thrilled to welcome everyone back for another night of laughter, healing, and appreciation of our nation's heroic veterans, featuring some of the funniest comics and most talented musicians on the planet,” said Bob Woodruff, ABC News correspondent and co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “Stand Up for Heroes celebrates our veterans, military and their families highlighting their remarkable stories of resilience and service. We know it will be an entertaining and powerful night and we hope to see you there.”

In 2007, New York Comedy Festival founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox partnered with Bob and Lee Woodruff to create this special event as a tribute to wounded, ill and injured veterans and their loved ones. Since its inception, Stand Up for Heroes has raised over $65 million to create long-lasting, positive outcomes for our nation’s impacted veterans, service members and their families. Over the past 15 years, comedians and performers including Stephen Colbert, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Jim Gaffigan, Whoopi Goldberg, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Ronnie Chieng, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ray Romano, and Robin Williams have taken the stage to advocate for our extraordinary service members.

“We’ve been thrilled to continue our partnership with the Bob Woodruff Foundation to present Stand Up for Heroes as a very special night during the New York Comedy Festival,” said Caroline Hirsch, Founder of the New York Comedy Festival and Carolines on Broadway, and Board Member of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “We are humbled by the resilience, dedication and sacrifice that these extraordinary veterans have shown in their service to our country. We are here to support our veterans and their families – and no better way to come together and experience the best in standup comedy and the healing power of laughter.”

For the past 16 years, 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. BWF has invested more than $85 million to find, fund and shape the most innovative programs supporting our heroes, reaching more than 11 million veterans and their families across the country.

“On top of being a hilarious night of jokes and an inspirational night of healing, last year’s return to an in person Stand Up for Heroes was an incredible reminder of the power of communities coming together to rally around a common cause,” said Anne Marie Dougherty, CEO of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “With so many of the challenges veterans face being exacerbated by the pandemic, it is essential that we all come together again to not only celebrate them and their sacrifices, but also to remind the veteran community that there are people and organizations who truly care and won’t stop fighting on their behalf.”

“Bread Financial is proud to strengthen the financial wellness of our veterans and their families through our partnerships with Stand Up for Heroes and the Bob Woodruff Foundation,” said Ralph Andretta, President and CEO of Bread Financial. “In the face of unprecedented rates of food insecurity and housing instability in the veteran community, Bread Financial is doubling down on our commitment to help veterans sustain financial security after service.”

Tickets for Stand Up for Heroes go on sale September 7 through bobwoodrufffoundation.org, nycomedyfestival.com and the Lincoln Center box office.

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 $65 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 before going virtual in 2020. Over the past 15 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 wounded by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, BWF 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, including mental health, caregiver support, food insecurity, and service-connected fertility issues. To date, BWF has invested over $85 million to Find, Fund and Shape™ programs that have empowered impacted veterans, service members, and their family members, across the nation, reinforcing the message that BWF has ‘Got Your Six’. For more information, as well as stories of success and innovation from BWF’s network of partners, please visit bobwoodrufffoundation.org or follow us on Twitter at @bwforg.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL
Launched in 2004, The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) is produced by Carolines on Broadway and created by Caroline Hirsch. NYCF brings together over 200 of the country’s top comedians including Judd Apatow, Hannibal Buress, Bill Burr, Margaret Cho, Billy Crystal, Larry David, Ricky Gervais, John Leguizamo, Bill Maher, Trevor Noah, Nick Offerman, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, and many others to over 100 venues throughout the five boroughs of New York City and now Long Island. In 2007, NYCF 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 many others. To date, Stand Up For Heroes events have raised over $65 million. For more information, visit https://nycomedyfestival.com and follow on social media Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #MakeNYLaugh.

ABOUT BREAD FINANCIAL
Bread Financial™ (NYSE: BFH) is a tech-forward financial services company providing simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions. The company creates opportunities for its customers and partners through digitally enabled choices that offer ease, empowerment, financial flexibility and exceptional customer experiences. Driven by a digital-first approach, data insights and white-label technology, Bread Financial delivers growth for its partners through a comprehensive product suite, including private label and co-brand credit cards, installment lending, and buy now, pay later (BNPL). Bread Financial also offers direct-to-consumer solutions that give customers more access, choice and freedom through its branded Bread Cashback™ American Express® Credit Card and Bread Savings™ products.

Bread Financial is an S&P MidCap 400 company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and committed to sustainable business practices powered by its 6,000+ global associates. To learn more about Bread Financial, visit BreadFinancial.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.