DALLAS — Heart of Dallas Young Professionals (HODYP) announced the third annual Heart of Dallas Fast Pitch event to take place on Giving Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at the House of Blues from 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Local nonprofits that support projects or programming dedicated to youth will be selected to compete for funding in a “Shark Tank” style format. Lagardère Sports and Entertainment’s newly branded partnership marketing agency, Lagardère Plus, will be the presenting sponsor of this annual event.
“We have a major presence in Dallas and recognize the importance of supporting an organization of young leaders in sport and entertainment that is making a meaningful difference in our community,” said Kern Egan, Lagardère Plus President, Americas. “We are proud to support the annual Fast Pitch event as presenting sponsor.”
HODYP is comprised of young sports and entertainment professionals in DFW and aims to create bold social change in our community. HODYP created the Fast Pitch event to boost their contribution to the community and recognize the many DFW nonprofits that support local youth programs and projects. Through Fast Pitch, area nonprofits will receive grants to support their efforts in addition to the opportunity to engage with potential new supporters, donors, and volunteers.
“In just two years we have awarded $200,000 in funding to local nonprofits in a fun and dynamic way,” said Britton Banowsky, a founding partner of the Heart of Dallas. “This platform allows us to support and celebrate the amazing work that these organizations are doing in our community while connecting and engaging some of our young professionals to these organizations.”
Last year’s grand prize winner was Café Momentum, requesting funding to support a 12-month, post-release internship for juvenile offenders. The People’s Choice award went to New Friends New Life, which earned the organization an additional $5,000 to provide sexual abuse recovery groups for teen girls in the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center and aftercare services for when they are released. Bryan’s House, Mercy Street, The First Tee of Greater Dallas, The Warren Center, and CitySquare also earned grants as finalists at Fast Pitch 2016.
A formal grant process is conducted, and the HODYP Steering Committee selects the event finalists after reviewing all applications. Chosen finalists have the chance to participate in the Heart of Dallas Fast Pitch, performing a three-minute live on-stage performance, or ‘pitch,’ to convince the panel of judges and audience why their organization deserves grant dollars to help them achieve their mission, vision, and goals.
“Thanks to our support from partners like Lagardère Plus, the event continues to get bigger and better each year,” said Kyle Tapply, President of HODYP and Director of Corporate Sponsorships at The Dallas Mavericks. “We are able to connect our members with these organizations through volunteer opportunities and young leadership positions. We also take pride in the fact that we can award substantial funding to enhance the impact these nonprofits have in our community.”
Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities will receive this year’s Community Excellence Award at the Fast Pitch event. This award honors professional athletes who have made an impact on the field and a positive difference in their community. Previous Community Excellence Award recipients include Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas Stars Captain Jamie Benn.
Emmitt Smith has achieved great success on the football field at every level. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, Smith finished his 15-year professional career as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Smith is also a three-time Super Bowl Champion and the only player in NFL history to win the Super Bowl, Super Bowl MVP award and NFL MVP award in the same season (1993). Post-career, Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities was established to provide resources to help children see and dream beyond the restrictive opportunities of their environment.
To purchase tickets or become a sponsor for the Heart of Dallas Fast Pitch, please visit theheartofdallas.org. Discounted tickets are available for nonprofit employees.
About Heart of Dallas:
The official launch event was the Heart of Dallas Bowl presented by PlainsCapital Bank on January 1, 2013, at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Demonstrating Heart of Dallas’ commitment to its home city, net profits from the event benefited the homeless population in Dallas. A year later the Heart of Dallas Young Professionals was formed to engage the next generation of leaders in the Dallas sports and entertainment fields by connecting young professionals with one another and opportunities to fuel bold social change. For more details about the Heart of Dallas or the Heart of Dallas Young Professionals, visit www.theheartofdallas.org.
The Dallas Foundation is the fiscal sponsor of Heart of Dallas Fund, a component fund of The Dallas Foundation, a 501(c)(3) publicly supported charity.
About Lagardère Plus:
Lagardère Plus has the expertise, experience and privileged access of a global leader in sports, entertainment, media, and lifestyle. We understand brands, fans and properties – and the dynamics between them – better than anyone. Whether your business is new to partnership marketing or a highly-experienced player, we hope to take you somewhere new. We are a diverse team drafted from some of the world’s best creative agencies, business consultancies, brands, research companies and sports/entertainment properties. We have offices in Berlin, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London, Munich, New York Paris, Singapore, and Shanghai.
SOURCE Heart of Dallas Young Professionals
