• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

On the night of the first round of the 2013 NFL draft Hope Africa and Beyond the Boroughs held a fundraising and Draft party event littered with current and former athletes and celebrities. President and founder of HOPE Africa and 2012 Super Bowl Champion, James Ihedigbo as well as the President and founder of Beyond the Boroughs, Tutan Reyes co-hosted the event located at PH-D Dream Hotel (355 West 16th Street).

Advanced ticket prices were $150 per person and $175 at the door, which included an open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres. The event was held for an opportunity to support Beyond the Boroughs mission: providing college scholarships to deserving students with college acceptance letters and unmet financial needs. The fundraiser was also an opportunity to support the HOPE Africa Scholarship Awards that were created in 2012 through a partnership with HOPE Africa and Beyond the Boroughs.

 

James Ihedigbo is a University of Massachusetts graduate and a class act. He has appeared in the last four AFC Championship games with three different teams (2009 & 2010 with The New York Jets, 2011 with The New England Patriots and 2012 with The Baltimore Ravens). However, James’ most touching and passionate work comes from his non-profit charitable foundation HOPE Africa. Tutan Reyes’ founded Beyond the Boroughs after he saw first hand how a college scholarship can impact a life. His foundation rewards underprivileged students with four-year scholarships to males and females from any race or state.

Some notable athletes and celebrities that attended the event were;

Former New York Giant Chris Canty; Former New York Jet Shonn Greene; Vonta Leach of the Baltimore Ravens; Bret Lockett of The New York Jets; Brittany Jackson from The WNBA; Meeka Don and Imani Showalter from Basketball Wives; The Mob Wives cast; actress Michelle Phelps; retired and former New York Giant Keith Bullock; and R&B singer Mario. Ray Rice of The Baltimore Ravens made a fashionable late entrance as well.

 

 

James and Tutan were extremely pleasant hosts and the event went off without a hitch. PH-D is known for attracting the biggest names and is also regarded as one of the best nightlife spots in New York City. On a normal Thursday night, PH-D has a reputation of being very hard to get into (for men) and to reserve a table can cost you well over $2,000. However, this was not a normal Thursday night as Hope Africa and Beyond the Boroughs really went out of their way to make it a success.

Look out for all our interviews and photos on PureSportsNY.com

 

 

By Vernon McKenzie

Graduate of New Institute Of Technology with a BA in Communications with a focus on Television Radio. Owner and Executive Producer of PureSportsNY

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