On Friday, December 10, 2007, Athletes for Charity held a Holiday Party and Toy Drive to benefit various youth organizations:  Lutheran Social Services of New York Foster Care Program, Incarnation Children’s Center, and Hale House Center, Inc.  The event was held at Maya Lounge in Manhattan and was well attended.  Through the generous donations of our supporters we were able to distribute approximately $2500 worth of gift cards and holiday gift items including a Limited Edition PSP and an iPod as holiday raffle prizes to the youth of Lutheran Social Services and holiday toys to the youth of Hale House and Incarnation Children’s Center. 

Athletes for Charity also adopted to very special youths from Lutheran Social Services and treated them each to a showroom visit where they were showered with product from each of the companies.  Shaquana, a 16 year old foster youth, was treated to a visit to Beyonce’s House of Dereon and also to Jay-Z’s Rocawear where she was accompanied by Reggie Torbor of the NY Giants.  Dimitri, a 15 year old foster youth, was treated to a visit to Enyce and also got to pick out a pair of sneakers from Footlocker to compliment his new wardrobe.  Thanks to the generous contributions of many, Athletes for Charity was once again able to spread holiday cheer to so many much deserving foster care youth of New York City. 

On Friday, December 21, 2007, wide receiver Michael Jennings of the New York Giants subsequently hosted a holiday party for approximately 150 foster care youth from Lutheran Social Services of New York (LSSNY) in Harlem, NY.  As part of a collaborative effort between Lutheran Social Services and Athletes for Charity, Jennings participated in the festivities by distributing gifts and signing autographs for the youth.  "Anything for the kids," says Jennings who has supported Athletes for Charity's initiatives on behalf of foster care youth in New York City since his arrival to the New York Giants. 

Other events coordinated by Athletes for Charity during the holidays included a visit by Osi Umenyiora of the New York Giants and Jerrod Laventure of the Red Bull New York to the Mother Hale Learning Center were we distributed autographed mini footballs from Osi and autographed player cards by Jerrod to each of the kids who ranged in ages from 3 – 5 years old.  In addition to benefiting local youth for the holidays, Athletes for Charity also extended its reach to a few others in Atlanta, GA, Tampa, FL and Cincinnati, OH through our works with players such as Ovie Mughelli of the Atlanta Falcons, Ryan Sims of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dhani Jones of the Cincinnati Bengals.

We would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of the following companies for providing us with bulk product to distribute to the youths during approximately 8 individual holiday parties Athletes for Charity sponsored across the United States for underprivileged youth:  New York Football Giants, New York Jets, Red Bull New York, New York Rangers, New York Knicks, NBA, Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation, Vitamin Water, Rocawear, Enyce, G-Unit Clothing, Zomba Records, SONY BMG, Staples, BLB&G and many many others.

Without the support of others, our efforts would not be possible. 

Happy New Year – May your year be blessed with Love and CHARITY! 

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