The Captain was on the red carpet and ESNY was there.
Cipriani Wall St once again played host to the greatest living Yankee and his foundation.
The idea first came about in 1996 when Derek Jeter and his father Charles ate pizza in a hotel room. The idea was to start a foundation that would support, mentor, and guide students in pursuit of higher education and leadership.
Fast forward to 2021 and thousands of kids have benefitted from The Turn 2 Foundation.
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Led by Jeter’s younger sister, Sharlee, and with support from celebrities, friends, and countless community organizations, the foundation is thriving more than ever in its 25th year.
“To see how far and how big this has grown over the years, it’s because of the support we’ve gotten from the community”
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Part of the foundation is a youth leadership group called “Jeter’s Leaders” a four-year high school program to support students in their future endeavors.
Of course, you could not have a Gala event at Cipriani Wall St. without inviting some famous faces. Former Yankees manager Joe Torre, Ex- NY Giants running back Tiki Barber, NBC News host Hoda Kotb, MLB Network’s Heidi Watney and Rapper Jadakiss were among some of the attendees.
When asked about hosting the Gala once again Hoda Kotb explained: “It’s one of the privileges of my life” She continued to gush about the organization and about Jeter “Some people change their own lives, Derek spends his time changing other peoples”
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Jeter has had a busy few months, wrapping up the baseball season as CEO of the Florida Marlins and finally getting enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
But Jeter shows no signs of slowing down, he continues to be a model of consistency. His focus on family and his foundation was obvious as I spoke with his friends on the red carpet before the
dinner.
Whether it is being the Captain of the Yankees or forming an organization dedicated to helping youth, Jeter has always shown those leadership qualities.
Joe Torre said it best “He had leadership qualities early and a lot of players benefited from that, I certainly benefitted from that”
