CAN WE HELP MATT OUT?:

Help me help kids by humiliating a celebrity (Matthew Cohen)

I've signed up for a charity ping pong tournament that helps eliminate illiteracy in New York City. It's all on the up and up, it's a good charity, it's called 826NYC.

9 celebrities will be in this tournament.

Only 36 non-celebs get to play in the entire tourney and I'm one. The top four fundraisers get to go right to the Sweet 16 AND get to pick which celebrity they want to battle against. Otherwise I might need to earn my way to battle a celebrity with my ping pong skills only. This will probably happen anyway, but who knows. Here are my potential celebrity opponents who you can help me play.

New York Rangers Left Wiunger, SEAN AVERY

Chef, Author and Restauranteur, MARIO BATALI

Author and Co-Founder of 826 National, DAVE EGGERS

Actor, JAKE GYLLENHAAL

Actor and Producer, CATHERINE KEENER

New York Times Crossword Editor, WILL SHORTZ

Actor and Director, DAVID SCHWIMMER

Author, Humorist and President of 826NYC, SARAH VOWELL

Actor and Screenwriter, MIKE MEYERS

Please help me battle a celebrity. I'll let my largest individual donor choose my opponent so you can be emotionally invested.

Even $10 would be great. If you know anyone else who might want to help fight illiteracy and help me out, please pass this along.

When you make a contribution to 826NYC, you are directly enhancing the education of thousands of Brooklyn area students by helping us offer free after-school tutoring, in-class support for local teachers, and creative-writing evening and weekend workshops.

All donations are fully tax deductible.

What does 826NYC do?

826NYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, develop their writing skills. We offer evening and weekend workshops and afterschool tutoring, and with the help of our talented team of volunteers, we're able to host class trips and offer teachers in-class support. We specialize in writing-based projects, including college essays, student publications, creative-writing assignments, and expository papers.

Click here to visit my personal web page in support of 826NYC.
or copy and paste this link into your web browser:
http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1349&AID=927&PID=111793

Or, Click here to view my team page for The Mayor of Summit
or copy and paste this link into your web browser:
http://www.gifttool.com/athon/OurTeamPage?ID=1349&AID=927&TID=5154

On the basis of Bill Buford's book, Heat, we're voting for Batali, who seems like he'd be a wicked fun time. If others can help out with a donation that would be great.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 8, 2010 3:11 PM