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Photos by Edward Callahan Jr.
New York, NY- In 1997, Derek Jeter glowed with excitement after raising more than $200,000 during one of his first Turn 2 Foundation fund-raising events held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo. Athletes such as Olympic medalist Dominique Dawes, and (the late) Kirby Puckett, American Major League Baseball center fielder with the Minnesota Twins, were among the celebrity athletes who supported his organization, which promotes healthy lifestyles.
During Jeter’s 16th Annual Turn 2 Foundation Dinner on June 21 (2012) at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in New York City, Jeter laughed when he saw the photo taken with then 9-year-old Edward Callahan Jr. (now, 23 and living in New York) who was a photographer at the event.
In comparing the two events, Jeter, New York Yankee captain and shortstop, said, “It’s just a lot bigger, I’ve learned that people like what we’re doing and we have a lot of same supporters throughout the years who have been here, and they only come back because they like what we’re doing. And, that says a lot about what my family’s been able to do.”
A total $1 million was raised during the June event through sponsorship sales, auctions, and donations. Celebrity athletes in attendance included longtime supporter, Dawes, along with Harry Carson, Greg Jennings, Tino Martinez, John Starks, Gerald Williams, Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Andruw Jones, Jayson Nix, Mike Harkey, Mick Kelleher, Kevin Long, CC Sabathia, Rob Thompson, and Larry Rothchild.
Jennings, also a native of Kalamazoo and graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School, is an NFL standout on the Greenbay Packers football team. He said he supports Jeters’ efforts through Turn 2 and looks up to him as a role model.
“What he’s done is set the bar quiet high,” Jennings said in New York. “He’s had a lot of success not only on the field, but off the field in changing lives. And that’s what we’re trying to do at the Greg Jennings Foundation.”
Bestselling R&B group of all time, Boyz II Men were greeted with hugs by Jeter as they entered the red carpet. After 20 years in the music industry the trio holds multiple Grammys, Soul Train, American Music, MTV, and Billboard awards. Their album, Twenty, was released last fall, and the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier year.They say their reemergence will not lead original fans far from what they’ve come to love about the group.
“We believe in entertaining, and entertainment doesn’t mean getting in there and doing something new,” said Wanya Morris. “It’s about taking people on a journey and that’s what we do when we get on stage.”
Regarding the Turn 2 Foundation event, the group has become regular performers at the charity event.
“This is our third year performing (at the Turn 2 event) and we’ve developed a repoire with Derek over the years. Now, we’re homies,” said Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men.
Nate Morris, another member of the group, said along with Jeter, they too give back to their community.
“The Boyz II Men House supports people and organizations in need and we do a lot of stuff in the inner city and internationally,” Nate said.
Honorees at the event included two Turn 2 MVP Award recipients: Dennis Walcott, Chancellor for New York City Public Schools, and Jeter Leader alumna Simona Vareikaite. Vareikaite is a recent college graduate who was recognized for her own civic outreach. Also honored were 11 high school graduates from the New York City and Kalamazoo Jeter’s Leaders programs.
“I came into (Jeter’s Leaders) as a shy person,” said Tracy Garcia, a 2012 graduate of Loy Norrix High School. “I have learned public speaking, how to meet new people, and how to be a role model and mentor to younger students.”
Also at the event was Kalamazoo Central graduate J’Nario Bey-Woodson. He said of the Red Carpet affair, “This is so amazing. I’m proud to be where I am, and I know it’s a privilege to be where I am; and I’m just so excited!”
The Turn 2 Foundation, established in 1996, has awarded more than $16 million in grants to create and support signature programs and activities that motivate young people to “TURN 2” healthy lifestyles.
For more information about the Turn 2 Foundation, visit: WWW.TURN2FOUNDATION.ORG
