NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — New York?based provider of wholesale brokerage services GFI Group Inc. has signed on as a presenting sponsor (the top level of available sponsorships) of the acclaimed fundraising event Stand Up for Heroes. GFI Group Inc.’s support of service members is in the company’s DNA. The firm employs service veterans as well as offering its financial support to this wildly popular benefit concert and comedy show.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival are partnering for Stand Up for Heroes. The event will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m., at New York’s Beacon Theatre.

“We feel fortunate to be able to align ourselves with such an important and worthwhile cause,” said Colin Heffron, president and director of GFI Group Inc. “The Bob Woodruff Foundation has made such a difference in the lives of wounded veterans, and it is our honor to be able to contribute to its good work.”

Stand Up for Heroes is part of the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s nationally recognized public education movement and brings together leaders from business, entertainment and philanthropy to raise funds to help injured service members and their families as they reintegrate into their communities. It is the kick-off event of the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) and has become a highly anticipated entertainment event as well as a much-needed respite for the more than 60 injured service members and their families who attend from across the country.

“GFI Group, Inc. has been the strongest financial sponsor every year we’ve hosted this event,” said Dave Woodruff, co-chairman, Board of Directors, Bob Woodruff Foundation and Group Advertising Director, Hearst Magazines. “In addition to serving as co-chairman of the Woodruff Foundation’s board, Colin Heffron is setting an example of how to operate a business with a conscience. Even in the tough economic times of the last few years, GFI Group traders paid top dollar for tickets?following Colin’s lead. We’re fortunate to have him on our side.”

Among the A-list talent confirmed to lend their talents to the Stand Up for Heroes event are Jon Stewart, Ricky Gervais, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Gaffigan, Seth Meyers, and the Max Weinberg Big Band.

Across the country, the Bob Woodruff Foundation is investing in innovative national and community-based programs that solve the full spectrum of issues that today’s service members and their families face, including education, employment and financial assistance; hidden injuries, trauma and mental health; physical therapy and rehabilitation; larger social issues and quality of life. The Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested more than $9.5 million, impacting more than 1,000,000 service members, support personnel, veterans and their families nationwide.

Tickets for the general public are available through www.ticketmaster.com, www.beacontheatre.com or www.nycomedyfestival.com. Corporate sponsor packages and VIP benefit packages can be purchased by emailing jonsie.stone@remind.org.

About GFI Group Inc.

GFI Group Inc. (NYSE: GFIG) is a leading provider of wholesale brokerage services, clearing services, electronic execution and trading support products for global financial markets. GFI Group Inc. provides brokerage services, market data, trading platform and analytics software products to institutional clients in markets for a range of fixed income, financial, equity and commodity instruments. Headquartered in New York, GFI was founded in 1987 and employs more than 2,000 people with additional offices in London, Paris, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Cape Town, Santiago, Bogota, Dubai, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Calgary, Los Angeles and Sugar Land (TX). GFI Group Inc. provides services and products to more than 2,600 institutional clients, including leading investment and commercial banks, corporations, insurance companies and hedge funds. Its brands include GFI(SM), GFInet®, CreditMatch®, GFI ForexMatch®, EnergyMatch®, FENICS®, Starsupply®, Amerex®, Trayport® and Kyte®.

About the Bob Woodruff Foundation

The Bob Woodruff Foundation provides resources and support to service members, veterans and their families to successfully reintegrate into their communities so they may thrive physically, psychologically, socially and economically. Through a public education movement called ReMIND.org, the Bob Woodruff Foundation helps educate the public about the needs of service members returning from war-especially the one in five service members who have sustained hidden injuries such as traumatic brain injury and combat stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety-and empowers communities nationwide to take action. Across the country, the Bob Woodruff Foundation collaborates with other organizations and experts to identify and solve issues related to the return of service members from combat to civilian life and invests in programs that connect our troops to the help they need?from individual needs like physical accommodations, medical care and counseling, to larger social issues like homelessness and suicide. The Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested more than $9.5 million, impacting more than 1 million service members, support personnel, veterans and their families nationwide.  

For sponsorship opportunities, email Jonsie.Stone@ReMIND.org

For more information about the Bob Woodruff Foundation please visit www.ReMIND.org

SOURCE GFI Group Inc.