The Social Impact Summit will be held on July 22 in Los Angeles
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NEED TO KNOW
- John Mayer, Stephen and Ayesha Curry and Michael J. Fox will be honored for their philanthropic work at this year’s Social Impact Summit
- The third annual event will be held in Los Angeles in July
- Last year’s honorees were John Legend and Sean Penn
John Mayer, Stephen and Ayesha Curry and Michael J. Fox are being recognized for their philanthropic efforts.
On Thursday, June 11, PEOPLE can exclusively announce that the stars will be honored at the third annual Social Impact Summit hosted by the Hollywood Reporter and the Social Impact Fund in July.
At the event, the "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" musician, 48, will be honored as Philanthropist of the Year for his involvement with the Heart and Armor Foundation for Veterans Health. Mayer founded the organization to support veterans and has donated over $5 million for research into veterans' mental health and community reintegration, according to a press release.
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"I am incredibly grateful to The Hollywood Reporter and the Social Impact Fund for honoring me with this award and recognizing the Heart and Armor Foundation for Veterans Health," Mayer said.
He added, "This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States and we must recognize, support and help our veterans as they play an integral role in our nation. I am proud of the work we have accomplished and look forward to reaching many goals we have yet to achieve."
The NBA star and his wife —who's an author, restaurateur and philanthropist— will be honored as Philanthropists of the Year for their nonprofit Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which invests in food access, literacy, youth sports and spaces where kids eat, learn and play in their hometown of Oakland, Calif. Launched in 2019, the program has provided over 25 million meals to kids and invested $20 million into closing the literacy gap by providing tutoring resources and support, according to a release.
"We launched Eat. Learn. Play. with the simple belief that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive. Through access to nutritious food, high-quality literacy resources and safe places to play and be active, we're working to help Oakland's kids realize their full potential and experience the joy of a happy, healthy childhood," Stephen, 38, and Ayesha, 37, said.
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"We are deeply honored by this recognition from The Hollywood Reporter and remain committed to investing in the children and families we serve, telling stories that deserve to be told and creating opportunities that can make a lasting impact for generations to come," they continued.
Additionally, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research will be honored with the Philanthropic Organization of the Year award. Launched in 2000, the foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease, which Fox was diagnosed with in 1991. The Back to the Future actor and CEO and co-founder Deborah Brooks will be accepting the honor.
"The foundation works hand in hand with scientists, donors, advocates and families to cure Parkinson's disease as quickly as possible. That has always been our end game,” Fox, 65, said.
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"It's amazing to see the foundation's work recognized, but this honor belongs to the entire community who makes our progress possible," he continued. "Together, we're sprinting to deliver on our promise to end Parkinson's for good."
This year's event will be held on July 22 in Los Angeles. At last year's event, John Legend and Sean Penn were recognized for their philanthropic efforts.
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