Laughter and Hope: Stand Up for Heroes Lights Up Lincoln Center for Veterans’ Futures

Stand Up for Heroes returned to David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center on November 10 for its 19th year. The event, presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), raised over $4.5 million. Funds support veterans, service members, and their families, helping them build stable futures.

The night featured comedy, music, and stories of military resilience. Performers included Mike Birbiglia (a previous guest in TV Topics), Alex Edelman, Jim Gaffigan, Idina Menzel, Lea Michele, Leslie Odom Jr., Tom Papa, and Jon Stewart.

The evening blended comedy and music seamlessly, opening with Lea Michele‘s powerful vocals as she set the room ablaze with “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from her role in “Funny Girl”. Later in the evening Tony winner and Academy Award nominee, Leslie Odom Jr. brought some “Hamilton” magic to the stage with “Wait for It”. In between the stellar music performance Birbiglia, Edelman, Gaffigan, Stewart, and Papa had the audience in stitches, each with their own comedy sets, delivering their unique brands of comedy, a stand-up buffet.

Tony-Winner Idina Menzel closed with a little comedy of her own, retelling the fateful Oscar night when John Travolta mispronounced her name as Adele Dazeem. She ended the night with a three-song set, including “Let It Go” and “Defying Gravity”.

Quite the night of entertainment, but there is much more to the star-studded event. On the red carpet, Awards Radar spoke with three participants about what a hero means to them today: Bob Woodruff, Emmy-winning journalist and foundation co-founder; Alex Edelman, comedian and 2024 Emmy nominee for Just for Us; and Tom Papa, comedian and event host.

Bob Woodruff discussed the foundation’s persistence. “We thought this was going to be a year when we established this foundation, now it’s been 19 years,” he said. “So, the good news and the bad news is we’ve been able to pull this off. The bad side of it is that it’s still needed, you know, these problems are not fixed, so every year there’s something new that needs to be done, and I think most people want to do something. It’s great to have a way that you can find the most efficient way to do it and have an impact, and that’s our mission.”

Woodruff defined heroes as those supporting the wounded. “To me, it seems like the heroes, if you want to call it, are the ones that are helping their family members to live through what they’re suffering through,” he explained. “So I think it’s been a while for us to make sure that the kids and the families are getting the same kind of attention as those that were badly wounded. And I think in the beginning that was not the case. So I think the biggest heroes in all of this recovery is the friends and the families closest to those that have suffered.”

Alex Edelman described heroism as exceeding expectations. “I feel a hero is someone who fulfills an obligation beyond the measure of the obligation they need to fill,” he said. “You know what I mean? So it’s more of a quality. I don’t know that I believe in heroes as much as I used to, but I believe in heroic acts, I suppose. So someone can do a heroic act and not be the best person, or someone can… A hero is someone who fulfills an obligation past the point that they should reasonably be expected to. A hero can be Billie Eilish or a veteran. One person’s heroism doesn’t diminish another person.”Edelman’s view aligns with Stand Up for Heroes’s goal: recognizing acts of extra effort, from entertainment to service.

Tom Papa focused on everyday helpers. “Everyday people that do the really hard things without complaining,” he said. “Those people, every time you think of these giant insurmountable problems. And then you look to regular people that are just showing up and helping at their church. Or showing up and helping people with food drives. And just doing the small stuff. Because a lot of times you can get kind of overwhelmed and think, how do you even solve these problems? But these regular people who may not have a lot, just helping each other out. That truly is a hero. And we should all emulate that.”

Papa’s perspective shows why comedy works for Stand Up for Heroes. As Woodruff noted, “When you’re thinking about people that hear what the mission is, there’s nothing better than comedy. They will pay attention because it’s a lot of fun. It’s always kind of, you mix the very serious messages in between something that’s really entertaining and people want to see, right, then they pay attention a little bit more.”

The event addressed ongoing needs like PTSD, brain injuries, family support amid global conflicts and even natural disasters like the Tennessee floods. Proceeds fund housing, mental health programs, job training and much, much more.

The night was not only about being entertained and education about the needs of our military but about raising money for the foundation. Attendees had the opportunity to donate money live during the event, raising paddles to commit to a dollar amount, reaching as high as a whopping $250K. You can still get involved by donating at bobwoodrufffoundation.org or even volunteering for veteran support initiatives. Stand Up for Heroes highlights that heroes emerge in daily actions. You can be a hero too.

ABOUT STAND UP FOR HEROES

Stand Up for Heroes (SUFH) launched in 2006 as the brainchild of Bob and Lee Woodruff and New York Comedy Festival founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox and is one of New York’s most anticipated nights of hope, healing and laughter, honoring our nation’s injured veterans and their families. Since its inception in 2006, SUFH has raised $117 million to create long-lasting, positive outcomes for our nation’s injured veterans, service members and their families. Stand Up for Heroes continues to expand and grow due to its remarkable success. Beginning at Town Hall, the event moved to the Beacon Theater in 2010, and to the Theater at Madison Square Garden in 2013 before going virtual in 2020. Over the past 19 years, comedians and performers including Stephen Colbert, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Jim Gaffigan, Whoopi Goldberg, Norah Jones, The Lumineers, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Seth Meyers, Hasan Minhaj, Tracy Morgan, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jeff Ross, Jerry Seinfeld, Iliza Shlesinger, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, The War and Treaty, and Robin Williams have taken the stage to advocate for our extraordinary service members. Stand Up for Heroes is presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF).

ABOUT THE BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION

The Bob Woodruff Foundation was founded by ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff and his family after Bob was wounded by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. The Foundation funds proven organizations delivering services to veterans, service members and their families in all 50 states. Its Got Your 6 Network of nearly 400 boots-on-the-ground partner organizations provides physical and mental health care, housing and legal assistance, disaster relief, and job placement services to the military community. The Bob Woodruff Foundation has funded $189 million in proven veteran programs and services since it opened its doors in 2007. More than two million Americans in the military community received care or support from a Got Your 6 Network partner last year, building on the Foundation’s commitment to always have the backs of those who stood for us.

To support the Bob Woodruff Foundation and learn more about their mission, please visit bobwoodrufffoundation.org. 

Photos courtesy of: Getty Images for the Bob Woodruff Foundation