Zenith Partners with Best Buddies International

An historical Swiss “Manufacture” with almost a century and a half of watchmaking history, Zenith is famed as the inventor of the legendary El Primero movement, and continues to cultivate its enduring values including innovative daring, pleasure and authenticity. It has shown a consistent interest in noble causes dedicated to the advancement of humankind, including through supporting research, exploration as well as sporting accomplishments and scientific progress. This ongoing commitment has naturally led it to serve as official timekeeper for the philanthropic organization Best Buddies International, and to play an active role in the latter’s 13th Annual Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port.

Tom Brady

Best Buddies International, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for friendship, employment and leadership training for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), will be holding the 13th Annual Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port, on June 1 and 2, 2012. More than 1,500 people are expected to participate in the Challenge – a charity walk, run and ride to benefit Best Buddies International. Tom Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback and a Best Buddies Global Ambassador, will serve as Honorary Chairman and lead his team to the finish line.

Anthony Kennedy Shriver

“We are looking forward to another tremendous Challenge in Massachusetts,” says Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Founder and Chairman of Best Buddies International. “It’s incredible to see the multitude of participants who come out to support such a great cause each year. We are also extremely honored to have Tom Brady on board. To have someone of his stature, celebrity and athletic talent pay attention to our population is really unheard of in today’s day and age.”

AN ACTION-PACKED PROGRAM

The Tom Brady Football Challenge, which will take place at Harvard Stadium on Friday, June 1, will kick off the weekend’s festivities.

During the game, Brady will play quarterback alongside Best Buddies participants and supporters. Last year, several New England Patriots past and present, including Tedy Bruschi, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Brian Hoyer, Dan Koppen, Nate Solder, Wes Welker, and Pierre Woods, as well as Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, played in the game. The public is welcome and encouraged to come out and cheer them on, and for free tickets to the game, visit www.hpchallenge2012.org . As official timekeeper of the organization, Zenith Watches will sponsor a team in the Football Challenge.

This incredible game will be followed by the Guy Fieri Celebrity Chef Tailgate Party, hosted by celebrity chef Guy Fieri, a best-selling cookbook author and host of several Food Network shows, including “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” and “Guy’s Big Bite”. Fieri will work with several lucky Best Buddies participants, who will serve as his sous-chefs and help him prepare food for this fabulous feast.

On Saturday, June 2, hundreds of cyclists will take the starting line at Boston’s John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum for the picturesque 100-mile ride portion of the Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port, from Boston to Hyannis Port. The Challenge is open to participants of all ages and abilities and is designed to showcase the Best Buddies mission in action. It also features alternative 50 and 20-mile cycling routes, as well as the Carl Lewis Challenge, a 5K run or walk led by the Olympic gold-medalist himself. To register and/or donate, visit www.hpchallenge2012.org

Several other celebrities, professional athletes and special guests are also expected to participate in the Challenge, including New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, former New England Patriot Tedy Bruschi, actors Michael Chiklis and Verne Troyer, actress Lauren Potter, television sports journalist Andrea Kramer, sportswriter and television analyst Adam Schefter, and many others. They will all be invited to compete in “Friendship Races” on tandem bicycles. There will also be a special “Friendship Race” in honor of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver called the Family Challenge, during which participants will be invited to team up with their mothers and fathers to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.

The Challenge will be capped off by a New England-style clambake and private concert by Indie-Pop band The Plain White T’s, which all participants and special guests are invited to attend.

ABOUT BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL
Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employ- ment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to almost 1,500 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ seven formal programs – Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies® , Jobs and Ambassadors – engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 50 countries, positively impacting the lives of nearly 700,000 people with and without disabilities around the world. As a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org , facebook.com or twitter.com es.

ABOUT ANTHONY KENNEDY SHRIVER
Anthony K. Shriver is the Founder and Chairman of Best Buddies International, which he created in 1989 to foster one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual disabilities. Recognizing the tremendous volunteer potential of university students, Shriver first inspired his college peers to personally collaborate in expanding the realm of opportunities that persons with intellectual disabilities should experience. Today, through Shriver’s stewardship and entrepreneurial spirit, Best Buddies® has grown into a leading nonprofit entity with increasing international reach across six continents. A graduate of Georgetown University, Shriver has been recognized for his work on behalf of Best Buddies with diverse international accolades and honorary degrees. He resides in Miami Beach, together with his wife Alina and their five children.

ABOUT TOM BRADY
Tom Brady who serves as Honorary Chairman of the Challenge is a multi-sport star and a gifted catcher who was originally drafted by a team competing in Major League Baseball. However, he chose American football and rose to fame with the New England Patriots as the only quarterback in the history of the NFL to start and win three Super Bowls before the age of 28. Tom and his wife, Brazilian supermodel Giselle Bündchen, have one son. Despite his huge national and international fame, he is known for taking time for people as well as being eager to give something back to society, and Best Buddies International offers him a hands-on opportunity to do just that.

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Zenith Partners with Best Buddies International

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