NEW YORK andLONDON, Sept. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --BGC Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq: BGCP), a leading global brokerage company servicing the wholesale financial and property markets, announced today that, together with its affiliate Cantor Fitzgerald, approximately $12 million was raised for charities globally at the companies' Annual Charity Day on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. BGC and Cantor Fitzgerald donate 100% of their global revenues on their annual Charity Day to the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and more than 100 charities around the world.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110720/MM38935LOGO )
The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, created to assist family members of Cantor employees who perished on 9/11, has broadened its mission to provide aid to victims of terrorism, natural disaster and emergencies, and has raised and distributed over $250 million. Begun in commemoration of the 658 Cantor employees lost in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, Charity Day also has expanded to assist charitable causes worldwide.Since its inception, Charity Day has raised approximately $89 million globally.
"Charity Day is a poignant occasion, created in honor of the friends and colleagues we lost on 9/11," said Howard W. Lutnick, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BGC Partners. "I'd like to thank everyone who has supported us today and every year, helping make Charity Day an outstanding and memorable occasion."
BGC President, Shaun Lynn, said: "Our heartfelt thanks to our clients, employees, guests and volunteers across the globe who helped us raise a tremendous amount today to help support those in need. Our special thanks to our valued clients who continue to support Charity Day each year."
Celebrities representing many of the participating charities joined licensed brokers on the trading floors to conduct transactions with BGC or Cantor Fitzgerald clients. Many distinguished guests joined BGC Partners in London, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and Sydney, as well as other locations. In London, celebrity guests at BGC's offices included: Princess Beatrice and Sarah, Duchess of York, actors Sir Roger Moore, Joan Collins, Richard E. Grant, Dominic West and Rosamund Pike, Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton, 2012 Olympic gold medalists Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford and Luke Campbell, comedian Steve Coogan, the legendary composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and music sensation Leona Lewis, plus many others.
At BGC's New York offices, guests included actors Andrew Garfield, Billy Crudup, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Adrian Grenier, Tony Sirico and John Turturro, music star Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, FOX Business Network anchor Sandra Smith, Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton of WFAN 660 AM Radio, sports superstars Carmelo Anthony, Coach Mike Woodson and Allan Houston from the New York Knicks, Eli Manning and Victor Cruz from the New York Giants, Mark Sanchez and Coach Rex Ryan from the New York Jets, tennis legend John McEnroe, supermodel Carol Alt, and many others.
At BGC's Paris offices, guests included top models Eva Herzigova, Liya Kebede and Satya Oblette, tennis champions Yannick Noah, Tatiana Golovine and Fabrice Santoro, actress Sophie Marceau, and Michelin Chef Guy Martin, plus many more.
Scores of charities around the world participate in BGC's Charity Day. For more information please visit: http://www.bgccharityday.com/
In addition to the revenues donated on Charity Day, Edie Lutnick, Executive Director of The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, donates all proceeds from her book, An Unbroken Bond: The Untold Story of How the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald Families Faced the Tragedy of 9/11 and Beyond, to charities. For information on An Unbroken Bond, please visit: http://www.anunbrokenbond.com/.
About BGC Partners
BGC Partners, Inc., a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial and property markets, has over 7,000 employees in New York, London and dozens of cities around the world, and conducts over $200 trillion in financial transactions for customers annually. BGC offers customers over 220 products, including commercial real estate, fixed income securities, interest rate swaps, foreign exchange, equities, equity derivatives, credit derivatives, commodities, futures, and structured products. For more information, please visit www.bgcpartners.com.
SOURCE BGC Partners, Inc.
