DALLAS, TX - Behind the Bench (BTB), The National Basketball Wives Association, will host the 14th annual “Touching a Life Luncheon” benefiting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Circle of Promise and The Links, Incorporated. This coveted affair taking place during the highly anticipated 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel on Friday, February 12, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.
“Behind the Bench is committed to supporting charitable organizations that have a long history of positively impacting and touching lives,” said Sandra Evans Short, president of Behind the Bench, The National Basketball Wives Association. “The beneficiaries and honorees recognized at this year’s luncheon have each shown a continuous dedication to the advancement of people and the betterment of their overall communities.”
Continuing its legacy of class and elegance, the 14th annual “Touching a Life Luncheon” will feature its signature awards ceremony recognizing four phenomenal women for their philanthropic contributions made throughout their communities both nationally and globally.
This year’s remarkable honorees are Michelle Ebanks, President of ESSENCE® Magazine, Angela Burt-Murray, Editor-in-Chief, ESSENCE® Magazine and Dallas’ own Clarice Tinsley, News Anchor of KDFW Fox 4 and Crystal King of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.
Guest will also enjoy a robust performance by the world-renowned Dallas Black Dance Theatre and savor the sultry sounds of Dondria, a local music sensation recently discovered and signed by Jermaine Dupri of So So Def Records. A star-studded fashion show featuring high-profile NBA players, NBA wives and NBA moms will add the perfect splash of glitz and glamour to this spectacular luncheon.
Additionally, a silent and live auction showcasing extravagant items such as luxurious get-a-ways, spa gift certificates and designer jewelry are sure to be a hit amongst the high profile guest of influential business and community leaders. Sybil Wilkes, co-host of the Tom Joyner Morning Show and Pastor Frederick D. Haynes, III, Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church will serve as the lively emcees for this coveted event.
The 14th annual “Touching a Life Luncheon” celebrates charitable giving, thus a percentage of the proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Circle of Promise and The Links, Incorporated. To purchase tickets and/or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sandra Evans Short at 832-217-7840 or via email at BehindtheBench93@gmail.com.
“To date, Behind the Bench has contributed over $1 million to charitable organizations and programs throughout the United States,” said Short. “As the ‘Touching a Life Luncheon’ continues to be one of the most anticipated fundraising events during NBA All-Star Weekend, we look forward to 2010 being a record breaking year of support and attendance.”
Behind the Bench, The National Basketball Wives Association is an organization comprised of a diverse group of dynamic and talented wives of active and retired professional basketball players.With a mission to enhance communities through volunteer service and to financially assist charitable organizations, the association has contributed over $1 million to various charitable programs across the United States. During the 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend, members of Behind the Bench plan to participate in a day of community service with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Circle of Promise team and will join the roster of key ambassadors for the Circle of Promise movement. For more information about Behind the Bench, please visit www.behindthebench.org
About the Susan G.Komen for the Cure® Circle of Promise
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Circle of Promise has committed to ensure that African American women are empowered with the information and tools needed to take charge of their health and to serve as ambassadors in their local communities. The Circle of Promise movement is designed to engage African American women to help end breast cancer forever by fostering increased awareness, support, empowerment and action. It has been designed to motivate and empower the community, mobilize and get active in public policy efforts and to dispel myths that prevent women from getting the needed access to care that can save their lives. For more information about the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Circle of Promise and to sign up as a Circle of Promise Ambassador, please visit www.circleofpromise.org or email circleofpromise@komen.org.
About Susan G.Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, the organization has invested nearly $1.3 billion to fulfill its promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, please visit www.komen.org.
About The Links, Incorporated
The Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit corporation, established in 1946. The membership consists of 12,000 professional women of color in 270 chapters located in 42 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. It is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. The Links, Incorporated promotes the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Circle of Promise to local communities by working with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Affiliates and the Komen on the Go™mobile trailer. They mobilize to reach and teach African American communities about proper breast health care in an effort to eliminate the disproportionate number of lives lost to breast cancer. For more information about The Links, Inc., please visit www.linksinc.org.
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