NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stand Up for Heroes (SUFH)—one of New York’s most anticipated nights of hope, healing and laughter—returns for its 11th annual celebration to honor our nation’s injured veterans and their families, Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. This year’s event will include performances by some of comedy’s biggest stars, including Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, John Oliver, Jon Stewart, and other surprise guests. Stand Up for Heroes is presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), and is brought to you by Veterans on Wall Street, supported by founding sponsor GFI Group Inc., the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and the Craig Newmark Foundation.

Eleven years ago, SUFH was launched from an idea of Bob and Lee Woodruff and New York Comedy Festival founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox, as a tribute to our country’s service members. Recent world events and natural disasters have shown that it is more timely and important than ever for our nation to come together to support and recognize the valiant efforts of our armed forces.

“Stand Up for Heroes is an opportunity for us all to put aside our differences and honor those who have, and continue to sacrifice so much for all of us,” said Bob Woodruff, ABC News correspondent and co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “The power of coming together is even clearer as we reflect on Hurricanes Harvey and Irma where we were proud to see veterans stepping up as a force for good amid tragedy.”

Since its inception in 2007, SUFH has raised more than $40 million to create long-lasting, positive outcomes for our nation’s injured veterans, service members and their families. This year SUFH will also be donating up to $500,000 from the event to support veteran organizations affected by recent disasters. This includes a $300,000 commitment to Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster relief organization.

"Hurricane Harvey will undoubtedly be Team Rubicon's largest operation to date, and Irma was not far behind, but the veterans and disaster responders among our ranks are built to serve," said Jake Wood, CEO and co-founder of Team Rubicon. "Thanks to the continued support of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, we're able to empower our nation's best to tackle the worst."

Formed in 2006, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has been a leader in the veteran community, forging partnerships at the highest levels of government, military, business and philanthropy. Beyond reaching veterans, service members and their family members across the country, investments in programs have bolstered hundreds of nonprofits serving veterans. Since its start, BWF has invested more than $42 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 2016, the foundation awarded $4.4 million in grants to nearly 50 programs.

Beyond the laughs, the audience at SUFH can look forward to inspiring moments and entertaining surprises while spending an evening recognizing the men and women who have served and protected our nation, many of whom will be flown in for the event for an evening of laughs, inspiration, and celebration. The night is an opportunity for them and their families to truly enjoy themselves and stand proud.

“We are honored to present Stand Up for Heroes for the 11th year with the Bob Woodruff Foundation, and to celebrate our nation’s heroes in such a special way,” said Caroline Hirsch, founder of the New York Comedy Festival and Carolines on Broadway and a Bob Woodruff Foundation board member. “Stand Up For Heroes is a chance to unite our community to provide support to the incredible individuals who have helped to protect our country. Nothing would be possible without the time and dedication from the performers and the generous supporters over the years.”

Over the past ten years, comedians and performers including Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Jim Gaffigan, Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, Conan O’Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Brian Regan, Ray Romano and Robin Williams have taken the stage to advocate for our extraordinary service members.

Tickets for Stand Up for Heroes go on sale today at 12:00 p.m. EST through bobwoodrufffoundation.org, nycomedyfestival.com or ticketmaster.com. For those unable to attend, an online auction offers a variety of high-end experiences and items for bid. Corporate sponsor packages and VIP benefit packages can be purchased by emailing sufh@bobwoodrufffoundation.org.

Stand Up for Heroes kicks off the New York Comedy Festival, which runs Nov. 7 – 12, and takes place at venues throughout New York City. Conan O'Brien will bring his show CONAN to the Apollo Theater for a week of shows, Nov. 6-9, during the festival. The NYCF consists of more than 200 comedians –including 2 Dope Queens, Vir Das, Chris Hardwick, How Did This Get Made? Podcast, truTV’s The Impractical Jokers Starring The Tenderloins, Jon Lovett’s “Lovett or Leave It Podcast,” Jo Koy, Bill Maher, Jim Norton, Nick Offerman, Brian Regan, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, Kevin Smith and Ron White performing in over 60 shows at New York City venues such as the Beacon Theatre, Carnegie Hall, Carolines on Broadway, BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, The Theater at MSG, Town Hall and The Bell House.

This year’s NYCF will showcase the first-ever “TBS Comedy HUB” with a takeover of the new hotel property PUBLIC. TBS and the Festival will program various activations throughout the week, including live shows at the hotel’s PUBLIC Arts performance space.

In addition, The Second City will come to New York for the first time in partnership with Carolines for the inaugural Pop-Up Training Center during the festival. The center will include a selection of improvisation, writing, and stand-up workshops.

Additional Stand Up for Heroes sponsors include: Barbara Bradley Baekgaard Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Brixmor Property Group, Evan and Tracy Segal, HBO, Jack Daniel’s, National Geographic, Oliver Wyman, Thomson Reuters, and Toyota Motor North America.

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 $40 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 ten years, comedians and performers including Chris Botti, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Jim Gaffigan, Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, Conan O’Brien, Phillip Phillips, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Brian Regan, Ray Romano and Robin Williams have taken the stage to advocate for 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 $42 million to find, fund and shape programs that have empowered impacted veterans, service members and their families, across the nation. For more information, please visit bobwoodrufffoundation.org or follow us on Twitter at @Stand4Heroes.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL

Now in its fourteenth year, the New York Comedy Festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway in association with TBS. The festival has featured the country's top comedians, including Aziz Ansari, Judd Apatow, Hannibal Buress, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., 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 Louis C.K., Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Conan O'Brien, Ray Romano, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, and Robin Williams, among others. To date, the “Stand Up for Heroes” events have raised over $40 million. For more information please visit the NYCF website, like the NYCF Facebook page, and follow the NYCF on Twitter, @NYComedyFest.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c2280bc2-1035-4cea-8892-3156bd3b6598

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bd3a6977-31e0-44bf-b325-4aa580209fc2

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ebc9734f-66ec-4ce6-b368-5a7105c51655

Sam Kille Bob Woodruff Foundation (646) 257-5490 sam.kille@bobwoodrufffoundation.org Stephanie Davidson New York Comedy Festival | FRANK PR (646) 861-0843 stephanie@frankpublicity.com Clare Anne Darragh New York Comedy Festival | FRANK PR (646) 861-0843 clareanne@frankpublicity.com Lina Plath New York Comedy Festival | FRANK PR (646) 861-0843 lina@frankpublicity.com