The Reach Foundation

Howie Schwab Wins "Out of The Blue" Award

2012-02-28T14:09:00.002-05:00

On February 22, 2012 ESPN's Howie Schwab was awarded The REACH Foundation's second "Out of The Blue" Award! Howie received this award due to his selfless dedication to making children's lives better. It is with your actions that makes you an inspiration in the community. Once again, a huge congratulations goes out to Howie Schwab!

Howie Schwab with Mark and Wendy Wilson, founders of The REACH Foundation, at Silver Spurs benefitting St.Jude's Children Research Hospital.

Howie at Silver Spurs

St. Jude Kyla’s Starlight Dinner Dance

2012-02-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

The REACH Foundation with the support of Crazy Bruce's Liquors will be donating the celebratory toast to mark Kyla's 5 year cancer free anniversary! The St. Jude Kyla’s Starlight Dinner Dance will be held on March 9, 2012 at La Bella Vista Fine Catering (formerly known as the Villa Rosa) in Waterbury, CT. Tickets are $75 per person or $750 per table of 10.

For more information or where to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=d583714c3bfbb210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=f722714c3bfbb210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD.

Mark Wilson Reports to WPLR from the Grammys

2012-02-13T13:55:00.000-05:00

This morning Mark Wilson, founder of The REACH Foundation, reported from Hollywood to WPLR and spoke with Chaz and AJ regarding the Grammys. His interview gives insight about last night's award show!

http://www.wplr.com/Player/101254661/

Stop Handgun Violence- Short Film Auditions To Be Held Next Week

2012-02-13T11:51:00.000-05:00

ATTENTION! On Monday, February 20 in Hartford at the Hartford Police Department PAL Headquarters; Tuesday, February 21 in Bridgeport at the Boys& Girls Club of Bridgeport; and Wednesday, February 22 in New Haven at Hill Regional Career High School will be the opportunity to audition for a small film. The target market we're looking to audition is AT-RISK kids between the ages of 13-21 in these or surrounding areas of Connecticut. This is a first come, first serve registration so if you have the names of kids who are interested, please contact Lori Vernali to preregister at lori.vernali@usdoj.gov.

4 Peace, the Hartford Police Department, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of CT, and Stop Handgun Violence is creating a short film that concentrates on the roles women and girls play in violent crimes.

The kids who decide to audition will have to commit to a full day (8:30am to 4:30pm)! LUNCH will be served. Auditions will be judged by M. Antonio Ennis ("Twice Thou") and Ed Anderson ("Edo. G") of 4 Peace and Charles Grady, a stage, television, and film actor.

Check out our Facebook album with the flyers and registration forms for all three cities with more detailed information. Also, please keep in mind we're looking for at-risk kids not professional actors who are looking to be apart of this experience.

Exciting February News

2012-01-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

On February 4^th and 5^th, The REACH Foundation will be at Big Y Kids Fair at The Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT. This fun-packed weekend will be an affordable and great outing for your family. Ticket prices are as follows: Adults: $8.00 and Kids 12 and under: $4(with a free ride included). Also, there is a saving opportunity! If you use your Big Y Express Saving Card, you can buy 1 adult admission and get the next 50% off.

At the Kids Fair, there is enough entertainment to keep the adults entertained as much as the kids! There will be local and national vendors offering valuable information, live entertainment, celebrity appearances, and much more! Don’t forget about the pony rides and petting zoo, too (it’s always a fan favorite by the kids!). For more information, visit http://www.connecticutkidsfair.com/main.html. Don’t forget to visit our booth!!

Another exciting event in February is Concert For Kids! Everyone here at The REACH Foundation is ecstatic to announce that we are one of the sponsors for this concert. On February 13^th at the Cadillac Ranch in Southington, CT, Concert For Kids will take place at 7pm benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The performers include some of country’s finest … Lee Brice, Uncle Kracker, JaneDear Girls, Neal McCoy, Casey James, and CT’s own Courtney Drummey. This show will be one you do not want to miss! For more information, visit http://www.country925.com/event_portal/view/calendar/calendar.html?page=2.

Stay tuned! More to come...

Holiday Light Fantasia Overwhelming Success

2012-01-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

After weeks of this dazzling light show, Holiday Light Fantasia has come to an end. With the support of the Connecticut community, this event was an overwhelming success! Over the past weeks, approximately 23,000 cars ventured to Goodwin Park in Hartford and drove through the 2 mile show, where over 35 lighted displays were admired by all. Being the title sponsor of this event, we’d like to say thank you to all who attended! It is with your help that Channel 3 Kids Camp is now able to welcome thousands of children to their camp this year!

Again, thank you for making this season such a huge success! Until next year…

Updates

2012-01-03T13:54:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!! Hope everyone had a safe and great holiday! With the New Year beginning, we want to keep you updated with what's going on at The REACH Foundation.

Stay tuned for exciting news about Breaking Barriers in the next few weeks. You can now find them on Facebook by searching Breaking Barriers Event. Please LIKE the page! Also, here is an introductory YouTube video giving the ground information about this remarkable event. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odwt7jbUKn8&feature=g-upl

This is the LAST week for Holiday Light Fantasia! The REACH Foundation is the proud title sponsor of this dazzling lightshow. Stay in the holiday spirit by coming up to Goodwin Park in Hartford. All proceeds benefit Channel 3 Kids Camp- admission is $10.00/vehicle.

YouTube Stream of Unwrapped&Unplugged

2011-12-20T12:35:00.000-05:00

Check out the YouTube stream of Montgomery Gentry at Unwrapped&Unplugged located in The Cabaret Theatre at Mohegan Sun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXiFT6lYyTM

UNWRAPPED&UNPLUGGED

2011-12-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Gentry

Trent Tomlinson

On Wednesday, December 14th The REACH Foundation and Country 92-5 proudly presented UNWRAPPED&UNPLUGGED starring Montgomery Gentry and Trent Tomlinson. The night events were located at Mohegan Sun.

The night began with a VIP pre-party where Eddie Montgomery, Troy Gentry, and Trent Tomlinson all attended Lucky’s Lounge. These three men were extremely down to earth and so sweet interacting with all... their fans. The country stars mingled around Lucky’s while posing for pictures, signing autographs, and truly getting to know their fans which was the best attribute of the pre-party.

At 8 pm, the concert began at Mohegan Sun Cabaret. The Cabaret is an intimate setting where there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Seating 400 people, the audience was extremely enthusiastic and ready for the amazing show. Trent Tomlinson opened the show and the audience went wild. The country singer sang some of hit songs including “One Wing In The Fire”, ”Country Is My Rock”, “Drunker Than Me”, and many more! Montgomery Gentry rocked the stage for the last hour. They sang all their hit songs including “Where I Come From”, “Hillbilly Shoes”, “Something To Be Proud Of”, “If You Ever Stop Loving Me”, etc! Also, Eddie and Troy included a few Christmas songs that brought the Christmas spirit into the room. It was an amazing show!

With the Christmas feeling in the air, this was the perfect way to bring in the holidays. We at the REACH Foundation would like to say THANK YOU to Montgomery Gentry and Trent Tomlinson for everything- ranging from the amazing concert to just touching the many people who were there! Also, thank you all who attended! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

WPLR Chaz and AJ'S Toy Drive Extravaganza

2011-12-12T13:36:00.001-05:00

On Friday, December 9th, WPLR's Chaz and AJ threw quite the extravaganza! The morning began at 5:30 am and lasted until 10 am. In a matter of 4.5 hours, with generous donations and toys that were donated, Chaz and AJ raised over $93,000! WOW!

Not only was there an amazing turnout, but also some local CT celebs came out to partake in the fun. There was entertainment with bands such as Rockapella and Christmas movie clips being shown continuously throughout the morning.

Again, a HUGE thank you goes out to Chaz&AJ for making this event possible! You're changing the lives of many children this Christmas!

We'd Like To Say Thank You!

2011-12-05T10:51:00.000-05:00

On behalf of The Reach Foundation, we want to extend a HUGE thank you to all who have attended Holiday Light Fantasia! The multitude of cars who have lined up these past few weeks in order to drive through Goodwin Park to see the display of lights ... is overwhelming and we are so glad that this beautiful display of lights is able to return to Hartford. This spectacular light show is bringing the community together to help send children to the Channel 3 Kids Camp. With the gracious donations that have been received thus far, it is evident that we all are passionate about this cause.

The Channel 3 Kids Camp’s mission is to provide opportunities to children, families, and communities through educational and recreational programs that promote diversity, learning, and growth. The unique year round program welcomes over 4,000 children, ages 6-16 years old, but primarily those who typically do not have financial abilities to experience the joys and value of a high quality camp. Most importantly, these children experience diversity, acceptance, and tolerance in a nurturing environment.

Holiday Light Fantasia runs through January 6, 2012. Let’s continue to help support this great opportunity for kids!

Chaz and AJ's Toy Drive

2011-12-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

Join WPLR's Chaz and AJ this Friday, December 9th for their Holiday Toy Drive! If you bring a toy, your admission is free. The event begins at 5:30 am and continues until 10 am at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford. Food, music, and much more will be provided.This is a great way to kick off your Friday morning...plus, tis the season for giving!

Let's help Chaz and AJ make this toy drive extremely successful! For more information, go to http://www.wplr.com/

Unwrapped and Unplugged starring Montgomery Gentry and Trent Tomlinson

2011-11-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

For all you country fans...here's a great way to kick off the holiday season! On December 14 at 8pm, Country 92-5 and The Reach Foundation present Montgomery Gentry and Trent Tomlinson in Unwrapped& Unplugged! These country stars will perform in an intimate setting at the Mohegan Sun Cabaret. This is a guaranteed once in a lifetime experience where you have never seen these country sensations so up close and personal. This concert is benefiting The Reach Foundation.

There is the opportunity to purchase VIP tickets for this concert as well. The VIP tickets include a pre-party at Lucky’s Lounge where Montgomery Gentry will make an appearance. Also, cocktails and appetizers will be served and raffle prizes and a silent auction will take place. The pre-party is from 6pm-7:30pm and doors will open to the Cabaret at 7pm.

Tickets are still available! Either visit Ticketmaster http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1D0047698ED7670A?artistid=717542&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=2 or call the Mohegan Sun Box Office at 1-800-745-3000!

Thanksgiving Recap

2011-11-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to give thanks! Here at The Reach Foundation, we were able to not only give thanks but also give back.

On Tuesday, November 22, REACH volunteered and helped serve a pre-Thanksgiving dinner to the children and families at the Wilson-Gray North Hartford YMCA, Youth and Family Center. The dinner kicked off with a brief ceremony with the children stating what they are thankful for followed by a vocal and dance performance. It was evident that the children had worked hard practicing for their performances and their efforts had paid off!

The YMCA had worked extremely hard to pull off this event and it was a complete success! Thank you to everyone who had worked to plan this beautiful event and to all the volunteers as well.

Early Wednesday morning, November 23, REACH grabbed their bowling shoes and bowled for an awesome cause! AMF Silver Lanes in East Hartford hosted the St.Jude's Bowl-a-thon and all proceeds benefited the St.Judes Children Research Hospital. This is not only a fun, but a great way to get individuals involved to help raise money!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Proud Title Sponsor of Holiday Light Fantasia

2011-11-28T16:26:00.000-05:00

The Reach Foundation is proud to annouce that they are the title sponsor for the returning Holiday Light Fantasia! This dazzling light show began November 19, 2011 and will run through January 6, 2012. This is a great night out with the family. Come out to Goodwin Park in Hartford and partake in kickoff to the holiday season. Admission per car is $10.00, mini buses is $40.00, and full size buses is $90.00.

All proceeds benefit Channel 3 Kids Camp. To learn more about this remarkable camp, check out http://www.channel3kidscamp.org/.

Hours of operation include: Sunday-Thursday 6pm-9pm and Friday-Saturday 6pm-10pm.

Hope to see you all there!