New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Northwell Health announced today the return of its annual “Side By Side: A Celebration of Service” – a two-day festival culminating in a benefit concert at UBS Arena from GRAMMY Award-winning and multi-Platinum singer-songwriter John Legend on Sunday, May 29. The evening will also feature a special performance by singer-songwriter Jason Derulo. Northwell Health’s “Side By Side” festival will kick off a day before, during New York City’s Fleet Week, on May 28, with a block party in Flatiron Plaza that will be hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and feature special appearances by Questlove, stars of Broadway, the Northwell Health Nurse Choir, and more.
As part of Memorial Day weekend and the return of Fleet Week New York, this year’s fourth annual event builds on Northwell’s commitment to celebrate and honor the resilience of our nation’s active-duty military, veterans and their families with a one-of-a-kind music experience to thank our heroes for their service.
The exclusive performance at the new UBS Arena at Belmont Park – the $1.1 billion, state-of-the-art arena which opened in November 2021 – will highlight some of Legend’s fan favorite hits that have made him one of the most decorated performers of our time. His appearance within the Side By Side music series comes on the heels of a recently announced residency in Las Vegas.
Prior to the benefit concert event, Northwell Health will also host a special Side By Side Block Party on Saturday, May 28, at Flatiron Plaza in the heart of New York City. This day of service event will celebrate the city’s comeback and resilience – and unite active military members, veterans, and their families with the general public for fun-filled games, food experiences, surprise music performances and more. Programming will be open to the public and will invite everyone to celebrate the sense of community that only Fleet Week and Memorial Day weekend in the Big Apple can bring.
“Memorial Day weekend is a dedicated time every year to reflect on the sacrifices so many Americans have made in our country’s history,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell. “We should never take for granted the freedoms we enjoy in this country or forget our heroes in the armed forces who will stop at nothing to protect those freedoms. We are honored to host ‘Side by Side: A Celebration of Service’ for those very reasons – to honor our service members.”
Northwell Health, New York’s largest health care provider and private employer, first launched Side By Side: A Celebration of Service™ over Memorial Day weekend 2019. Since its inception, Side By Side has helped raise more than $2 Million in support of Northwell Health’s Military Liaison Services , which aims to redefine the way those who served are viewed, treated and cared for with medical and behavioral services, employment opportunity and other assistance programs.
“We are so excited to host this fun-filled event with a live audience both in the streets of New York City and on the stage of UBS Arena with John Legend and Jason Derulo,” said Juan Serrano, vice president of the health system’s Military Liaison Services and US Marine veteran. “This is a two-day celebration of our country’s military service members, but it also signifies Northwell’s commitment to our veterans for the other 363 days of the year. We will always stand by our heroes in uniform and their families. We owe them our full support and a debt of gratitude.”
Since 2006, Northwell has been serving and supporting active-duty personnel, veterans and their families as a proud, military-friendly employer and provider of both medical care and behavioral health treatment for those struggling with PTSD, while also recruiting and assisting newly returned veterans trying to find a job and acclimate back into civilian life. Northwell hires hundreds of veterans a year, and over the past decade has also awarded about $1.8 million to employees who were mobilized and deployed overseas – funds that represent the difference between their military pay and the regular salaries they would have earned at their Northwell jobs. In recognition of its efforts, Northwell is ranked as the nation’s seventh top nonprofit employer by the veterans advocacy group “Military Friendly.”
For more on Side By Side: A Celebration of Service™ please visit SideBySideNYC.com.
Tickets to the benefit concert event with John Legend will be available for purchase on Friday, April 15 at 10:00 AM. For every ticket sold, 100% of the proceeds will go to fund Northwell Health’s military programs. Additional details for the Side By Side Block Party will be released in May.
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 22 hospitals, 830 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 78,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Multiplatinum artist and activist John Legend made history as the first African American man to join the prestigious EGOT club. The 12-time GRAMMY Award-winner released his seventh studio album, Bigger Love, in 2020 and wrapped his nationwide Bigger Than Love Tour in October. Legend is currently a judge on the Emmy-nominated show, The Voice, and a principal in Get Lifted Film Co. As an activist, Legend initiated the #FREEAMERICA campaign in 2015 to change the conversation surrounding criminal justice policies and to end mass incarceration.