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<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Giants of the sports and entertainment worlds were out in full force on Staten Island Thursday evening, gathering to serve as the dais of the 29th annual Teddy Dinner, the marquee event of the Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1997 by the dinner\u2019s namesake and named in honor of his father, the foundation \u2014 long regarded as one of the Island\u2019s most prominent nonprofits \u2014 offers a wide range of emotional and financial support to people in need, particularly children.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of attendees packed Nicotra\u2019s Ballroom for an evening celebrating the foundation\u2019s remarkable work, including athletes like Knicks legend John Starks and Super Bowl champion James Bradberry; sports media personalities such as Chris \u201cMad Dog\u201d Russo and Brian Kenny; and star entertainers Tracy Morgan and Staten Island\u2019s own Sal Vulcano, just to name a few.<\/p>\n
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1\/52<\/p>\n
29th Annual Teddy Dinner<\/p>\n
Kenny, who emceed the event, opened the festivities by sharing how great it felt to return and hoping the crowd acknowledged how important their presence was. <\/p>\n
\u201cI hope everyone realizes that as people are spending and donating tonight for a good cause, that you realize what a blessing everyone is to this community through the foundation, and this is how it happens,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n
Atlas himself then delivered an insightful opening address, sharing just how important the annual dinner is to the mission of the foundation. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor the last 29 years our car has been parked here in this room, where once a year there is nothing that separates us\u2026 we are all bound by an inalienable responsibility to protect life. It is what compels us to come together when the call for help goes out,” he shared.<\/p>\n
The founder recalled a recent conversation with his wife, Elaine, about a day at the foundation\u2019s food pantry when nearly four times the usual number of people arrived after losing access to food stamps \u2014 and how nights like the Teddy Dinner help make moments like that possible. <\/p>\n
\u201cA couple weeks ago during the government shutdown, Sharon called me from the food pantry, stressed, and said, \u2018Normally we feed about a thousand people a week. There\u2019s three or four thousand people here, coming from Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn. What do I do?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt didn\u2019t take me long to answer: \u2018Feed them.\u2019 You fed them, and I thank you for that, Elaine. They thank you for that, and the man above thanks you for that,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
In his own humorous way, Atlas also thanked the dais for their unwavering support of the foundation, joking that \u201cAs big a pain in the ass as I am, you\u2019re still here. And I thank you. I\u2019m always scared\u2026 I\u2019m always saying to myself, what if they don\u2019t answer my call this time? What if they say no? But you\u2019re still here.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery one of these people on the dais is a fighter\u2026 they care more about helping other people than being good athletes or good actors. That\u2019s why they\u2019re stars,” he went on.<\/p>\n
![\"Atlas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3PGTHZF7QBBINDVBFR5WJDSG4A.JPG\")
Pennsylvania native Jonathan Nespoli addresses the crowd gathered at the 29th Annual Teddy Dinner on Nov. 20, 2025.Michael O’Brien<\/p>\n
Also addressing the crowd was Pennsylvania native Jonathan Nespoli, who traveled to the Island to speak about the profound impact the foundation had on his family and his late wife, Kim, providing them with both financial and emotional support during her courageous battle with cancer. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation didn\u2019t just help financially; that support gave Kim one more year of life and our family precious time we wouldn\u2019t have had otherwise. But the impact went further \u2014 Kim\u2019s story spread through the community and beyond, inspiring people across the country, opening doors to new relationships and faith, and sparking faith in others,” he poignantly shared. <\/p>\n
\u201cKim lived a life of love, kindness, forgiveness and gratitude. And thanks to you, she lived that life just a little bit longer. Her story lives long and so does her life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following a standing ovation for Nespoli\u2019s remarks and other program highlights \u2014 such as auctioned items and unique experiences and photo\/autograph opportunities with the dais \u2014 Atlas presented three awards recognizing individuals who embody the spirit of the foundation: the Humanitarian Award to Kevin McCabe Jr., the Champion Award to Borough President Vito Fossella, and the Jack Newfield Award to Otis Livingston.<\/p>\n
McCabe, a native New Yorker now living in Poland who provides communications support for the Ukraine Children\u2019s Action Project and has traveled to Ukraine multiple times to document UCAP\u2019s impact firsthand, was a fitting recipient of the same award previously given to figures such as Cardinal Dolan and Dikembe Mutombo. <\/p>\n
\u201cBeing here tonight surrounded by people who understand what it means to fight for others, I\u2019m struck by how deeply the mission of Teddy\u2019s foundation aligns with that same spirit. The Teddy Atlas Foundation steps in when people are hurting, not for recognition, but because it\u2019s the right thing to do. Whether it\u2019s a child in Ukraine or a family in Staten Island, compassion doesn\u2019t recognize borders,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n
![\"Atlas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IW5D5UFUORDINJNMMUUS2NBQ2M.JPG\")
Humanitarian Award recipient Kevin McCabe Jr. poses with Teddy Atlas during the 29th Annual Teddy Dinner on Nov. 20, 2025.Michael O’Brien<\/p>\n
BP Fossella also offered remarks following his acceptance, sharing that \u201cThe Teddy Atlas Foundation gives hope to those who think they have none and a voice to those who feel unheard. You give people the chance to live a life they never imagined. I love this community and appreciate everyone who stands up and fights for what\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lastly, Livingston, a multi-time Emmy award winner for his work as a sports anchor, was greatly honored to receive the award named for the legendary sports journalist, sharing that \u201cThe main thing I want to say tonight is I am humbled. Looking around the dais, I am humbled by so many talented people in sports and entertainment and just to be in your presence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m humbled to be associated with Teddy Atlas, whose passion, compassion, and caring are evident in how he runs his foundation \u2014 an extension of his father, Dr. Theodore Atlas, and his tremendous work. It\u2019s also an honor to be associated with Jack Newfield and his legacy. Thank you all for coming out tonight; through your support, Teddy and his wonderful foundation can continue the great work they do,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
For more information on the essential work the foundation does, visit dratlasfoundation.com.<\/a><\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Giants of the sports and entertainment worlds were out in full force on Staten…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47266,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-47265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}