NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, October 13, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Up2Us Sports, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring youth through coaching and sports, welcomed pro athletes and celebrities to its ninth annual gala on Tuesday, October 11th. The star-studded event was held at Classic Car Club Manhattan. The funds raised will go towards training coaches in sports-based youth development and placing them in under-resourced communities.

"This event was a celebration of the power of coaches to positively impact the lives of youth across this country,” said Paul Caccamo, Founder & CEO of Up2Us Sports. “It also was a call to action to support Up2Us Sports as the only national service program for coaching in America. We appreciate everyone who attended and all who continue to rally around our mission in the year ahead."

The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour accompanied by live jazz. Guests mingled with figures from the entertainment world including Kyle MacLachlan, Sandra Bernhard, Jackie Hoffman, Michelle Hicks, Famke Janssen, and Josh Hamilton. Special appearances were also made by Up2Us Sports Ambassadors: WNBA Champion and author, Sugar Rodgers; first female coach for the New York Jets and first African American female coach in the NFL, Collette V. Smith; professional boxer, Damon Allen Jr.; and world champion professional rock climber, Sasha DiGiulian.

This was followed by an action packed program led by Monica McNutt, emcee of the evening and renowned ESPN Sports Reporter, Host, and Basketball Analyst. The event honored Nichol Whiteman, CEO, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, with the Legacy Award, and Brooklyn-based Jae Cooper with the 2022 Coach of the Year Award.

The live and silent auction featured sports memorabilia from sports greats including Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Aaron Judge, Henrik Lundquist, Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, and more.

For more information on Up2Us Sports, visit www.Up2UsSports.org.

About Up2Us Sports
Established in 2010, Up2Us Sports is the nationwide leader in engaging and training sports-based youth development coaches, practitioners, and organizations to address the most pressing issues facing youth in under-resourced urban communities. Up2Us Sports does this through the following programs: Up2Us Coach, Up2Us VISTA and Up2Us Training. Up2Us Sports’ research, training and on-the-ground initiatives empower sports programs across the country to become a united force for meaningful change. To date, Up2Us Sports has reached nearly 650,000 youth by placing almost 4,300 coaches and capacity building service members in underserved urban communities.

Melissa Galandak
Ballantines PR
+1 310-454-3080
melissa@ballantinespr.com