Scorsese to Receive Tribute Award
Official Press Release: HELP USA CELEBRATES 20 YEARS; HONORS MARTIN SCORSESE, JON BON JOVI ON MAY 4 AT TRIBUTE DINNER AT GOTHAM HALL (New York, NY – April 11, 2006) – On Thursday, May 4th, HELP USA will celebrate twenty years of accomplishments and recognize the individual efforts of Jon Bon Jovi and Martin Scorsese during HELP USA’s annual Tribute Awards Dinner at Gotham Hall. The organization, which is one of the nation’s largest providers of housing, job training, and social services for the homeless and victims of domestic violence, annually honors others in the community whose own efforts offer assistance, mentorship, and support. Past recipients of the HELP Heroes Award include Christopher Reeve, Whoopi Goldberg, Harry Belafonte, Anna Quinlan, Mike Piazza, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Joe Torre. Other honorees at this year’s dinner include Ron and Judy Blaylock of Blaylock & Company, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, clinical and research dermatologist and CEO of N.V. Perricone M.D. Ltd., and Tara Stacom of Cushman & Wakefield. “Each of our honorees embodies the qualities that are essential to HELP’s work,” says Maria Cuomo-Cole, who along with her husband Kenneth Cole, is co-chairing the Tribute Awards Dinner. “Jon Bon Jovi and Martin Scorsese are two public figures who view their success as a platform to give back and do so in ways consistent with HELP USA’s twenty years of job and housing assistance; and mentoring.” “The good work of organizations like HELP reminds and reassures us that change is possible,” says musician, actor, and philanthropist, Jon Bon Jovi. “The efforts we make to help others in our own backyards can have a direct and powerful impact on peoples' lives.” “HELP USA is an organization that has made a significant and lasting impact on countless lives,” says Martin Scorsese. “Through its tireless efforts and life-enriching programs on behalf of those in need, HELP USA demonstrates the importance of reaching out and making a difference in our communities.” HELP USA will also be supporting their fund raising efforts with an online auction through eBay from mid-April through May 4th. Auction items include donations from celebrities, popular restaurants and luxury vacation destinations. The final auction items will be announced soon – and bidding will be open until the Tribute Awards Dinner, where winners will be announced that evening. BOUT MARTIN SCORSESE - Martin Scorsese was born in New York City in 1942. He attended NYU’s School of Film, during which time he made numerous prize-winning short films. He directed his first feature in 1968, served as Assistant Director and editor of the documentary Woodstock in 1970, and won critical and popular acclaim for his 1973 film, Mean Streets. Scorsese directed his first documentary, Italianamerican, in 1974 and in 1976, Taxi Driver was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed with New York, New York in 1977, The Last Waltz in 1978, and Raging Bull in 1980, which received eight Academy Award Nominations. Scorsese went on to direct The Color of Money, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, Kundun and The Age of Innocence, among other films. His long-cherished project, Gangs of New York, was released in 2002, earning a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Scorsese is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of motion picture history. He is also a Co-Chair of the Tribeca Film Festival. His awards and honors include the Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival (1995), the AFI Life Achievement Award (1997), the Honoree at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 25th Gala Tribute (1998), and the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award (2003). Most recently, Scorsese’s The Aviator, was released in December of 2004, and in 2005, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan was broadcast as part of the “American Masters” series on PBS and released on DVD worldwide by Paramount Home Entertainment. Scorsese is currently in post-production on his next feature, The Departed, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson.
Official Press Release: HELP USA CELEBRATES 20 YEARS; HONORS MARTIN SCORSESE, JON BON JOVI ON MAY 4 AT TRIBUTE DINNER AT GOTHAM HALL (New York, NY – April 11, 2006) – On Thursday, May 4th, HELP USA will celebrate twenty years of accomplishments and recognize the individual efforts of Jon Bon Jovi and Martin Scorsese during HELP USA’s annual Tribute Awards Dinner at Gotham Hall. The organization, which is one of the nation’s largest providers of housing, job training, and social services for the homeless and victims of domestic violence, annually honors others in the community whose own efforts offer assistance, mentorship, and support. Past recipients of the HELP Heroes Award include Christopher Reeve, Whoopi Goldberg, Harry Belafonte, Anna Quinlan, Mike Piazza, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Joe Torre. Other honorees at this year’s dinner include Ron and Judy Blaylock of Blaylock & Company, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, clinical and research dermatologist and CEO of N.V. Perricone M.D. Ltd., and Tara Stacom of Cushman & Wakefield. “Each of our honorees embodies the qualities that are essential to HELP’s work,” says Maria Cuomo-Cole, who along with her husband Kenneth Cole, is co-chairing the Tribute Awards Dinner. “Jon Bon Jovi and Martin Scorsese are two public figures who view their success as a platform to give back and do so in ways consistent with HELP USA’s twenty years of job and housing assistance; and mentoring.” “The good work of organizations like HELP reminds and reassures us that change is possible,” says musician, actor, and philanthropist, Jon Bon Jovi. “The efforts we make to help others in our own backyards can have a direct and powerful impact on peoples' lives.” “HELP USA is an organization that has made a significant and lasting impact on countless lives,” says Martin Scorsese. “Through its tireless efforts and life-enriching programs on behalf of those in need, HELP USA demonstrates the importance of reaching out and making a difference in our communities.” HELP USA will also be supporting their fund raising efforts with an online auction through eBay from mid-April through May 4th. Auction items include donations from celebrities, popular restaurants and luxury vacation destinations. The final auction items will be announced soon – and bidding will be open until the Tribute Awards Dinner, where winners will be announced that evening. BOUT MARTIN SCORSESE - Martin Scorsese was born in New York City in 1942. He attended NYU’s School of Film, during which time he made numerous prize-winning short films. He directed his first feature in 1968, served as Assistant Director and editor of the documentary Woodstock in 1970, and won critical and popular acclaim for his 1973 film, Mean Streets. Scorsese directed his first documentary, Italianamerican, in 1974 and in 1976, Taxi Driver was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed with New York, New York in 1977, The Last Waltz in 1978, and Raging Bull in 1980, which received eight Academy Award Nominations. Scorsese went on to direct The Color of Money, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, Kundun and The Age of Innocence, among other films. His long-cherished project, Gangs of New York, was released in 2002, earning a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Scorsese is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of motion picture history. He is also a Co-Chair of the Tribeca Film Festival. His awards and honors include the Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival (1995), the AFI Life Achievement Award (1997), the Honoree at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 25th Gala Tribute (1998), and the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award (2003). Most recently, Scorsese’s The Aviator, was released in December of 2004, and in 2005, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan was broadcast as part of the “American Masters” series on PBS and released on DVD worldwide by Paramount Home Entertainment. Scorsese is currently in post-production on his next feature, The Departed, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson.