NEW YORK – September, 11, 2020 – Today, celebrities from across the country joined Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliate BGC Partners, as part of this year’s Virtual Charity Day – a one-day event that works to raise funds for charities in need of help today – and in honor of those we lost 19 years ago on 9/11. With a powerhouse ensemble of guests including Matthew McConaughey, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Bell, Patrick Dempsey, and Kevin Durant, the event raised $10 million for hundreds of charities around the world.
Every year since 2002, Charity Day has opened trading floors and paired celebrities with licensed brokers to conduct transactions with one hundred percent of the day’s global revenue distributed to hundreds of charities around the world, including the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund. And despite the global pandemic – in fact, even more motivated because of it – the founders and those who support Charity Day knew that this year their commitment was even more essential.
“I continue to be inspired each and every year by the support for Charity Day,” said Howard W. Lutnick, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. and BGC Partners, Inc. “We founded this organization 19 years ago to not only honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, but to inspire hope, charity and unity during the toughest of times.”
While this year’s events were undoubtedly different, the organizations felt strongly about continuing this event, albeit virtually, with renewed rigor and urgency to raise as much as possible to support charities hard-hit by COVID-19.
Edie Lutnick, President and Co-Founder of the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund commented on Charity Day, “This year, those in need - and the charities that support them - have been dramatically affected by COVID-19. But, as we know, it is often in trying times, that our best selves emerge. We find a mission larger than ourselves and can make spectacular things happen. Based on the success of this year’s Charity Day, we truly saw that resilience in action.”
The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, which has raised approximately $180 million globally since its inception, was created to commemorate the 658 Cantor employees and 61 Eurobrokers lost in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. The founders pledged on day one that help would always be there, not just to assist those effected by 9/11, but to provide hope and support around the globe.
The following esteemed guests representing participating charities joined clients and employees in a virtual meet and greet session to raise funds for charitable organizations:
Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Durant, Patrick Dempsey, Alec Baldwin, Ed Norton, Kristen Bell, Spencer Dinwiddie, CJ Mosley, Victor Cruz, John Stamos, Goldie Hawn, Tony Gonzalez, Patrick Reed, David Costabile, Billy Crudup, Edie Falco, John Slattery, Matthew Rhys, Steve Buscemi, Allan Houston, Mark Messier, Jim Leyritz, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Kathryn Winnick, Jeff Ross, Mark Teixeria, Gerry Cooney, Petra Nemcova, Tony Blair, Henrik Lundqvist, Nick Swisher, and Steve Nash, Brian Cashman, Rosie Perez, and Virginia Williams.
To make a donation to the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, please call (212) 829-4770 or visit www.cantorrelief.org.
About Cantor Fitzgerald
Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., with over 12,000 employees, is a leading global financial services group at the forefront of financial and technological innovation has been proven a resilient leader for over 70 years. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is a preeminent investment bank serving more than 5,000 institutional clients around the world, recognized for its strengths in fixed income and equity capital markets, investment banking, prime brokerage, and commercial real estate and for its global distribution platform. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is one of the 24 primary dealers authorized to transact business with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For more information, please visit: www.cantor.com.
About BGC Partners, Inc.
BGC Partners is a leading global brokerage and financial technology company. BGC specializes in the brokerage of a broad range of products, including fixed income (rates and credit), foreign exchange, equities, energy and commodities, shipping, insurance, and futures. BGC also provides a wide variety of services, including trade execution, brokerage, clearing, trade compression, post-trade, information, and other back-office services to a broad range of financial and non-financial institutions. Through brands including Fenics, BGC Trader, Capitalab, Lucera, and Fenics Market Data, BGC offers financial technology solutions, market data, and analytics related to numerous financial instruments and markets. BGC, BGC Trader, GFI, Fenics, Fenics Market Data, Capitalab, and Lucera are trademarks/service marks and/or registered trademarks/service marks of BGC Partners, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
BGC’s customers include many of the world’s largest banks, broker-dealers, investment banks, trading firms, hedge funds, governments, corporations, and investment firms. BGC’s Class A common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “BGCP”. BGC Partners is led by Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com. You can also follow BGC at https://www.linkedin.com/company/bgc-partners and/or http://ir.bgcpartners.com/Investors/default.aspx.
Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements about BGC
Statements in this document regarding BGC that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include statements about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, results, financial position, liquidity and outlook, which may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to the risk that the actual impact may differ, possibly materially, from what is currently expected. Except as required by law, BGC undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see BGC's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information set forth in these filings and any updates to such risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information contained in subsequent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q or Form 8-K.
About Charity Day and the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund
Every year, Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners, in conjunction with the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, commemorate our 658 Cantor and 61 Eurobrokers employees who perished on September 11, 2001 by distributing 100% of our global revenues on Charity Day to the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and dozens of charities around the world. 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 natural disasters, emergencies, direct service charities and wounded members of the military.
Charity Day is our way of turning a tragic day into one that is positive and uplifting by helping others. We invite celebrity guests who represent participating charities into our offices to conduct trades with licensed brokers and their clients. To date, Charity Day has raised $180 million for charitable causes around the world, and since its inception the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund has raised and distributed over $357 million. For information about the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund please visit www.cantorrelief.org.
Media Contact:
Karen Laureano-Rikardsen
Chief Marketing Officer
Cantor Fitzgerald | BGC Partners
499 Park Avenue | New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212.829.4975 | [email protected]
