Sudhir Choudhrie to be Honored at HealthCorps Gala

HealthCorps (www.healthcorps.org), a national non-profit that gives young people life-saving skills, will honor Sudhir Choudhrie for his contributions toward the health and well-being of America's youth during the organization's 11th Annual Gala on Monday, April 3.

"I am very grateful to Dr. Oz, who performed my heart transplant operation and saved my life. He isn't only a great surgeon; he is an important philanthropist. The Choudhrie Family Foundation is proud to assist Dr. Oz's HealthCorps charity to fund programs that create awareness of the need for organ donation. I thank Dr. Oz and HealthCorps for their recognition at the gala."

Additional honorees will include celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, The California Walnut Board, Foundation, The Einstein School of Medicine and Principal Scott Wohlrab.

The "Tropical Garden Gala" held this year at Pier Sixty on Chelsea Piers in New York will raise funds for HealthCorps to continue its steadfast mission of giving young people short and long-term lifesaving skills so they and their families can live longer, more productive and happier lives. The HealthCorps curriculum includes skills in fitness, nutrition and mental resilience as well as immediate life-saving skills such as diabetes prevention, CPR and organ donation education. Funding from this event will support the continued expansion of HealthCorps' groundbreaking, in-school Health Education programming - also referred to as the "Living Lab" and its HealthCorps University, professional development training program that bring its curriculum to virtually any school or community in the United States.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, HealthCorps Chairman, renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and the seven time, Daytime Emmy Award-winning host of the "The Dr. Oz Show," and his wife and author Lisa Oz will co-host the Gala. The couple co-founded HealthCorps over a decade ago to engage and encourage youth to become catalysts for simple lifestyle changes that enhance not only their own health, but influence the health of their families and friends as well. The evening will applaud the unwavering and tireless work of honorees Rocco DiSpirito, The Choudhrie Family Foundation and the California Walnut Board. HealthCorps will also recognize the Yvette and Joel Mallah Crystal Heart Apple Award recipients: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, represented by Dr. Judith Wylie-Rosett and Memorial High School of West New York, NJ represented by Principal Scott Wohlrab.

HealthCorps supporters expected to attend include opinion leaders in health and wellness, celebrities, athletes and acclaimed chefs.

"Lisa and I are so proud of HealthCorps' impact on America's youth over the past decade," said Dr. Mehmet Oz. "This year we are recognizing Rocco DiSpirito, the Choudhrie Family Foundation and The California Walnut Board for their impressive and resolute dedication to the physical strength and mental resilience of past, present and future generations of America's youth. We look forward to another stellar event so we can further grow HealthCorps' in-school programs, expand our reach into new communities and to continue to win the fight against childhood obesity."

Michelle Bouchard, HealthCorps President, said, "The Gala is a celebration of HealthCorps' growth and accomplishments, as well as a time to lay out our goals for the future. We look forward to championing the work of our honorees, announcing new partnerships and showcasing HealthCorps' programming over the past year. Every day the work we do saves lives and we are happy to honor those who help us accomplish that."

The Gala's unique, "health fair" cocktail hour will feature booths with delicious food, supportive partners and even HealthCorps Coordinators to explain and highlight the HealthCorps curriculum. The main event will include a seated black tie dinner, accompanied by an online auction, as well as acceptance speeches by the honorees and performance by Stepp Stewart. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit https://gala.healthcorps.org.

Proceeds raised at the Gala will be used to continue to fund current programs as well as further implement the HealthCorps curriculum at new high schools through Living Labs and HealthCorps University.

Event Sponsors include The American Endowment Foundation on behalf of the Dave and Renee Wentz Foundation and Anonymous Donors plus our Advocate Level Sponsors: The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation, The Falic Family, and the Samuel J. and Connie M. Frankino Charitable Foundation. Our Floral Sponsor is Dr. Phillip Yoo / Lasermed Pain Institute and water sponsor is Sanavi Water.

HealthCorps Program Partners include our National / Mission Level: Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.; Ascensia Diabetes Care US, Inc.; The Choudhrie Family Foundation; and USANA Health Sciences. Partners at the Regional / School Level: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield; Continental Resources; Harris County Health District Foundation; Inland Empire Health Plan; Loma Linda University Health; New Jersey Department of Health; Northeast Ohio Wellness Fund; Omron Healthcare, Inc.; Randall Lewis / Lewis Management Corp.; San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools; The California Endowment; The California Walnut Board; the Chickasaw Foundation; and Wells Fargo Foundation.

About HealthCorps

HealthCorps is a national non-profit organization that gives teens short and long-term lifesaving skills for physical and mental health so they and their families can live longer, more productive and happier lives. HealthCorps students exercise more, eat better and practice positive thought. The program will impact almost 1 million students across the United States in 2017.

The HealthCorps curriculum has been refined and developed in its in-school Living Labs program since 2003, where a full-time Coordinator is placed inside a high-need high school for two years to mentor hundreds of students, teach health related workshops, and promote a variety of during and after school activities. Coordinators are recent college graduates who go on to careers in medicine, public health policy or wellness practices.

HealthCorps University is an intense professional development program that certifies participants to bring HealthCorps' innovative health and wellness curriculum to their organization whether it's a school system, community organization or corporation. In 2015, HealthCorps teamed with CK-12 to distribute free, interactive and customizable versions of the HealthCorps curriculum for educators and students to use. For more information, please visit us at www.healthcorps.org and follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.

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