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Released 15 July 2011
Contact:
Bob
Brady Jane
Watrel
For The
Salvation
Army
Ruben
Brown Foundation and CAMMO
Ph:
202-289-4001
Ph:
703-518-3162
bbrady@xenophonstrategies.com jane@cammomusic.org
Faithe
Colas
Community
Relations Director
Salvation
Army Milwaukee
Ph:
414-302-4300 x2248
Faithe_colas@usc.salvationarmy.org
(Alexandria, VA)
July15, 2011 – Former
Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears NFL guard Ruben Brown will be making pit stops
at Salvation Army programs across the country as part of the 11th annual Ruben Brown Motorcycle Run between July 15 and August 15. The 7,000 mile
run will see Ruben riding and visiting nine major cities to raise awareness and
funds for Salvation Army social service programs for youths and others in
need. While on the road, Ruben will visit underprivileged
kids, seniors and other clients of The Salvation Army as many Americans face
continued economic challenges.
“Growing
up in Salvation Army programs as a kid, I saw first-hand how people can have
little or nothing at all, yet still have the opportunity to achieve something
great,” said Ruben Brown, who played in the National Football League for
13
seasons before founding the Ruben Brown Foundation. “It’s more
important than
ever to help The Salvation Army raise awareness and needed funds so they can
help as many people as possible.”
The
Motorcycle Run will be celebrated by Ruben, Salvation Army supporters and
benefactors and motorcycle enthusiasts through a variety of events and
activities
at stops during the ride.
Ruben
will kick-off the Ride by joining The Salvation Army, city officials and local
business supporters in Buffalo,
NY at 12pm ET on July 15 for hot
dogs and ice cream, and group prayer before the send-off. Other cities where
Ruben
and others will rally in support of The Salvation Army include:
-
- Lynchburg,
VA: Between 9am and 11am on July 16, Ruben will
visit with and provide food to Salvation Army clients at the Lynchburg
Corps Gymnasium.
- Nashville, TN: On July 18
at 5pm, Ruben will visit the Madison Corps and do a short tour
of Madison
by motorcycle with the Corps Officer.
- Little Rock, AR:
On July 22, Ruben will ride with the local motorcycle group to The
Salvation Army’s Harbor Light to serve breakfast to clients.
- Tulsa, OK: Ruben will
visit the Center of Hope in Tulsa,
OK and help serve lunch to
clients from 12:45-2pm on July 23.
- Dallas – Fort Worth,
TX: On July 25, Ruben
will visit kids at The Salvation Army’s Summer Youth Day Camp at
9:30am
in Dallas.
As Ruben leaves town, he’ll make a quick stop at the Mabee Center
Location
to help serve clients lunch.
- El Paso,
TX: On July 26, Ruben will make a quick visit
with Salvation Army clients at The Salvation Army’s Emergency
Shelter.
Afterwards, several local motorcycle groups will ride with Ruben to the
Texas/New Mexico border.
- Los Angeles,
CA: On July 30, Ruben will visit The Salvation
Army Red Shield Youth and Community Center at 11am, to take part in
activities with kids.
- Milwaukee, WI: Between
5:30 and 7pm on August 11, Ruben will take part in a Meet and
Greet Autograph Session at the Harley
Museum’s monthly
Bike Night meeting.
As
a fundraiser for The Salvation Army youth programs, supporters of the
Motorcycle Run can contribute a $10 gift via text message by texting the word
“RUN” to 80888.*
In
addition, supporters can give online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org/RUN or
www.RubensRun.com. Ninety percent of
all funds
donated will go to support the work of The Salvation Army; the remainder will
subsidize transportation expenses associated with the Run. Donations will stay
in the local community
in which it was raised, helping The Salvation Army provide direct support to 30
million Americans each year through a variety of services including homeless
shelters,
food and meal programs and adult rehabilitation. Fans can follow Ruben’s
progress at www.facebook.com/rubenbrownf
oundation and www.twitter.com/rubenbrownFNDN.
Nationwide,
The Salvation Army has seen increases in demand from old and new clients, as
well as decreased donations from supporters. A Salvation Army report,
“Feeding
the Need 2011,” released earlier this year, found that 94 percent of
Salvation
Army food service programs saw an increase in requests for food assistance in
2010. At the same time, nearly 60 percent of Salvation Army programs saw
donations remain flat or decline from all funding sources.
“Thanks
to supporters like Ruben Brown who work tirelessly on behalf of The Salvation
Army, we will continue to help families and individuals who have worked to
overcome the recession,” said Major George Hood, National Community
Relations
and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army. “The Motorcycle Run is a
great opportunity for communities to look beyond the economy and focus on
supporting our neighbors.”
Partnering with the Ruben Brown
Foundation and The Salvation Army
along the way will be the Center for American Military Music Opportunities
(CAMMO), whose mission is to
provide music therapy centers for service members and veterans of all ages
to help restore emotional and physical well being following grueling
deployments. CAMMO's military musical artists will also be entertaining
participants in select cities throughout the Run.
“During
Ruben’s Motorcycle Run, military artists will play and sing their hearts
out to
support Ruben and The Salvation Army. This is a great opportunity to highlight
the importance of raising awareness and support for families, seniors, veterans
and youths nationwide,” said Cathie Lechareas, Co-Founder and Executive
Director of CAMMO.
Since
beginning the Motorcycle Run in 2001 in Buffalo,
NY, Ruben has seen the event grow
from a couple hundred riders, to a few thousand riders today. The Ruben Brown
Motorcycle Run has become an increasingly popular event that has raised more
than $500,000 for a number of charities including The Salvation Army, CAMMO,
Dreams Take Flight, The Bo Henson Foundation, Buffalo Prep, Inner City youth
football, Camp Good Days, The Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo and
numerous high school and youth athletic programs.
The
Ruben Brown Foundation is committed to raising funds for youth development
organizations that focus on athletics, cultural, and educational programs -
similar to those that were available to Ruben as a young child at The Salvation
Army. More information about the Ruben Brown Motorcycle Run, The Salvation
Army’s service programs and CAMMO is available online at www.rubensrun.com, www.salvationarmyusa.org and www.cammomusic.org.
*A
one-time donation of $10 will be billed to your mobile phone bill. Messaging
and data rates may apply. Donations are collected for The Salvation Army by
mobilecause.com. Reply STOP to 80888 to stop. Reply HELP to 80888 for help. For
terms, see www.igfn.org/t.
###
About
the Ruben Brown Foundation
The goal of the Ruben Brown Foundation is to raise
funds and support for youth and development programs in our communities. The
Foundation focuses on programs that are similar to those that were available to
Ruben as young child. Examples include: camps, mentoring programs,
scholarships, and 'in time of need' services that collect food and clothing as
well as provide shelter to those less fortunate. The Ruben Brown Foundation was
founded in 2001 by former NFL player Ruben Brown. The foundation’s
mission is
to provide assistance to charities and community organizations that focus on
the development of youth through athletics, cultural and educational programs.
For more information, go to www.rubensrun.com.
About
The Salvation Army
The
Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church
established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without
discrimination for 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million
Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the
broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the
hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to
the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for
underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to support
those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
About C*A*M*M*O
C*A*M*M*O
promotes the music of our men and women in uniform and allows the public a
unique venue to empathize with service members by listening to their voices as
well as provides a cathartic outlet for the artists themselves. Its mission is
to take the creativity and talent of wounded warriors and veterans, and move it
forward by creating therapeutic outlets.
The organization also provides economic and scholastic opportunity by
training military members for viable music industry careers. For more
information, go to www.cammomusic.org/main