Charitable Fund Highlights day of Remembrance and Service on 9/11

NEW YORK (September 10, 2015) — Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) has been selected for the first time in the organization’s history to participate in the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund “Charity Day,” held to commemorate September 11th. During this special event, Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners invite celebrity guests who represent participating charities into their offices to conduct trades with licensed brokers and their clients. IAVA will be represented by celebrity ambassador Bill Cowher, one of the most successful coaches in NFL history and veterans advocate and IAVA board member.

The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, initially created to assist families of Cantor employees who were lost on 9/11, has since broadened its mission to provide aid to victims of terrorism, natural disasters, emergencies, direct service charities and wounded members of the military. To date, Charity Day has raised approximately $113 million for charitable causes around the world, and since its inception the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund has raised and distributed over $270 million.

“We are honored to commemorate 9/11 through participation in the Cantor Fitzgerald Charity Day, and can think of no better ambassador for IAVA than Coach Cowher. As a 9/11 first responder myself, I witnessed first hand the impact of the terrorist attacks on New York. The Cantor Fitzgerald family, headquartered in the World Trade Towers at the time, was devastated by the attacks. As the leading non-profit representing the Post-9/11 generation of veterans, we look to honor the fallen on this special day and celebrate the tradition of service that was demonstrated by every New Yorker on this day fourteen years ago,” stated Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and CEO of IAVA.

Bill Cowher, a founding trustee of IAVA and longtime supporter of veterans, has an accomplished career in the NFL as a linebacker and special teams standout for the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his coaching career in 1985 for the Browns, eventually succeeding becoming head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992. Over the span of 15 years as head coach, Cowher’s accomplishments include eight division titles, 10 postseason playoff berths, 21 playoff games, six AFC Championship games and two Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl XL. He is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least seven division titles and in 1995 at age 38, he became the youngest head coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl. In 2007 Coach Cowher joined CBS as a studio analyst on The NFL Today.

Each year, Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners, in conjunction with the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, commemorate the 658 Cantor and 61 Eurobrokers employees who perished on September 11, 2001 by distributing 100% of their global revenues on Charity Day to the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and dozens of charities around the world.
For information about the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund please visit www.cantorrelief.org.

About IAVA: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the leading post-9/11 veteran empowerment organization (VEO) with the most diverse and rapidly growing membership in America. As a non-profit founded in 2004, IAVA’s mission is to connect, unite and empower post-9/11 veterans. Celebrating its 11th year anniversary, IAVA has connected more than 1.2 million veterans with resources and community, and provided more than 5,000 veterans with personalized support from IAVA’s Master’s level social workers.

About Cantor Fitzgerald: Cantor Fitzgerald, a leading global financial services group at the forefront of financial and technological innovation has been a proven and resilient leader for over 65 years. Cantor is a preeminent investment bank serving more than 7,000 institutional clients around the world, recognized for its strengths in fixed income and equity capital markets, investment banking, prime brokerage, and commercial real estate finance and for its global distribution platform. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is one of 22 primary dealers authorized to trade U.S. government securities with The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Cantor Fitzgerald’s 1,600 employees serve clients through over 35 locations, including major financial centers around the world in the Americas, Europe, Asia/Pacific, and the Middle East. For more information please visit www.cantor.com.