Art Show CANCELED

I'm sorry to have to say that we will not be able to continue with the art show. I was thrilled with the idea of donating all my pieces of art to charity, as well as having a fun night for all who wanted to join me. Unfortunatly, there was not much interest in the event. With less than two weeks to go, our guest list has barely surpassed 20 people. Without two or three hundred people attending I will not be able to cover the cost of everything as well as generate any money to donate. Again, I'm sorry I didn't do a better job of getting the word out and selling tickets, but I tried and it just isn't going to happen right now.

I would really like to thank all the different media sources supporting me for the event. Everyone I've worked with has been extremely helpful and I really appreciate it. Special thanks to the Ritz in Tysons Corner for putting up with all my shannagans, you guys have been great to work with and it means a ton. I would also like to say thanks again to Jordana and BJ with the Redskins for working so well with me. You guys are amazing!

Finally, I would love to have this event be a success in the future. I'm not sure if it was bad timing or what, so I will try again for this event some time next year. :(

Art Show Press Release

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA – Washington Redskins All-Pro Tight End Chris Cooley will auction artwork to raise funds for education at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner on Monday, November 30, 2009 from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm. Cooley, an art major at Utah State University, will auction his own original paintings, drawings, and pottery to raise funds for underserved students through the Chris Cooley Education Fund. A general admission ticket to the Chris Cooley Art Show is $100.00/individual. A VIP admission ticket to the show is $300.00/individual. To reserve your ticket to this inaugural event, visit www.Redskins.com/community or www.cooleycharity.blogspot.com to download a registration form.

Established in 2008, the Cooley Education Fund provides college scholarships to low-income, high-potential high school seniors throughout the greater Washington, DC region. In its inaugural year, the fund provided eight students each with college scholarship worth $25,000.00. These bright and dedicated students now have the opportunity to pursue a higher education and reach the goals they have set for themselves.

During his time in Washington, Cooley has created a gallery full of artwork including over 20 paintings and 25 pieces of pottery. The art show will feature pieces that are available for sale as well as auction to provide guests not only with a wide-variety of artwork, but also a broad-range of prices.

In addition to the artwork, Cooley’s teammates and coaches will support his cause by donating and auctioning a variety of Redskins memorabilia, including autographed jerseys, footballs, and helmets.

“Every single dollar raised from selling my art will be donated back to the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation; subsequently going into my education fund and scholarships to underprivileged kids,” says Cooley. “I thought doing something I love and am interested in would be so much more real for the public.”

The general admission ticket ($100.00/individual) includes entry into the event, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and an open beer and wine bar. The VIP admission ticket ($300.00/individual) includes all amenities included in the general admission price as well as entry into a private VIP reception with Chris Cooley and other Redskins players (5:30 pm – 6:30 pm) and a football autographed by Cooley and all Redskins players in attendance at the event. Visit www.Redskins.com/community or www.cooleycharity.blogspot.com to reserve your ticket today! Tickets are tax-deductible.

The Chris Cooley Education Fund is another initiative developed and funded by Cooley and implemented with the assistance of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Community Relations Department. In July 2008, Cooley invited nearly two dozen little fans battling big diseases to a special Training Camp practice where he surprised them each with a duffel bag full of gifts, including a handheld game system, games, and Redskins memorabilia as well as the quality time with the entire Redskins team. In September of this year, Cooley, along with teammate Derrick Dockery, hosted the second annual All Star Survivors Luncheon for approximately 20 women currently battling breast cancer at Redskins Park to provide them a day of pampering that included lunch, a player-led tour, and a new wig, scarf, turban, bag of makeup, and pair of jeans along with tickets to the Redskins vs. Buccaneers game where the women stood beside the Redskins cheerleaders to welcome the players onto the field.

The college scholarships, administered by the DC College Success Foundation (www.dccollegesuccessfoundation.org), will provide one deserving student at each of the 8 schools Cooley visits with a college scholarship that will be disbursed in $5,000 increments annually. The DC College Success Foundation has established a strong working scholarship model that places scholarship recipients in a mentoring program that requires the student to work with a mentor during their freshman year to help ensure success.

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Media interested in covering the art show should notify Jordana Taylor
(703-726-7497 or taylorj@redskins.com).

The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, the nonprofit philanthropic arm of the team combines the influence and popularity of the Washington Redskins with the resources and assets of Washington area corporations. Founded by Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder, the Charitable Foundation is guided by its Leadership Council that consists of CEOs who help shape and define the philanthropic efforts of the Redskins to achieve a measurable impact on youth development in the areas of education, community outreach, and health and wellness. Visit www.Redskins.com and click on Community for more information.

Chris Cooley Art Show

UPDATE: THE SHOW HAS BEEN CHANGED TO NOV 30TH

Chris Cooley made a profound educational investment of both his time and money in 2008 by launching the Chris Cooley Education Fund. Through this fun, Cooley visited eight area high schools in a span of three days to speak to the student body about the importance of education in both his and their lives. At each school, Cooley made a $5,000.00 donation to the school’s academic programs and announced the establishment of the college scholarships through the Chris Cooley Scholarship Fund. The college scholarships provided eight high-potential, low-income high school seniors (one from each school Cooley visited) with a $25,000.00 college scholarship.

As a result of the Chris Cooley Scholarship Fund, eight students now have the opportunity to attend college and pursue a future that may not have otherwise been possible. Now, as a direct result of the Chris Cooley Art Show, even more students will have the opportunity to receive a college scholarship and a chance to create their future.

The Art Show will feature nearly 50 pieces of art, most of which have been created by Washington Redskins All-Pro Tight End Chris Cooley himself. In addition, the art show will showcase works of art by local artists including area high school students, some of which may one day be the beneficiary of a Chris Cooley Scholarship Fund.

The evening will run from approximately 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm and will feature great works of art in combination with heavy hors d’oeuvres and an open bar. The event will allow local art enthusiasts as well as football fans the opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind works of art as well as mingle with a variety of Washington Redskins players and gain insight into both the athletic and artistic endeavors of their favorite players.

All proceeds from the Chris Cooley Art Show will benefit the Chris Cooley Education Fund, which provides $25,000.00 college scholarships to high-potential, low-income students in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.

Location:
Ritz-CarltonTysons Corner
Old Dominion Room
1700 Tysons Boulevard
McLean, VA 22102

Cost:
$300.00/ticket (VIP reception)
$100.00/ticket (general admission)

Please print off the registration form, fill it out, and mail/fax it back to the address/fax on the bottom of the form. If you are paying by check, please include the check with your registration form. The purchase of these tickets is tax deductible.

October 20th Art Show

UPDATE: THE SHOW HAS BEEN CHANGED TO NOV 30TH

Finally, I have gotten enough balls to show my stuff and have combined that with the right people to put together a Chris Cooley art show. Over the last six months I have been spending a lot of my spare time to painting, drawing and throwing pots. The collection in my house is now over 15 finished paintings and somewhere between two and three hundred clay pots. I also have about 25 different sketches I will put out. I have now become Serious Sam about this project, I mean, I'm talking about my own hard wired kiln in the back of my house serious.To backtrack about a couple things - this spring I spent a couple weeks visiting schools speaking on behalf of education. I discussed with high school kids the importance of an education and what it has meant in my life. I then donated 5,000 dollars to eight different schools as well as eight 25,000 dollar scholarships to seniors attending those schools. This is a project that I really enjoyed and would love to continue in the future, but it takes a large amount of money. Thus the art show.

Now, I don't want art to jump out as something completely off the wall so I will briefly explain. I could have put together a golf tournament or luncheon, but how unoriginal would that be? And damn if I want to do something lame for charity, so I figured art would be awesome. I was an art major in college and I thought doing something I love and am interested would be so much more real for the public.

Every single dollar raised from selling my art will be donated to back to the Redskins Charitable Foundation, subsequently going into my education fund and scholarships to underprivileged kids. The event will be Oct. 20th which is a Tuesday night. We will begin to sell tickets on my site as well as the Redskins site sometime this week at 100 dollars a ticket. The night will include hanging out with my friends at the Ritz in Tysons Corner, eating and drinking all night for free and hopefully taking home some of my art. We will also have an auction run by the players for autographed items. This really means a lot to me so please help out.

Also, I would really like to thank the Ritz Carlton. They have been unbelievably accommodating and completely cut the charge of the room. The only cost is an 8,000 dollar charge for food and drink. (Again, if you buy the 100 dollar ticket it's open bar.) If any business would like to partner with us on this and sponsor some or all of this cost we would really appreciate it. Please contact us through our email. (cooleyfans@gmail.com)