Celebrities Help Cantor Fitzgerald, BGC Raise Money During Annual Charity Day
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- BGC Partners, an offshoot of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, brought in celebrities Thursday to work the phones on the trading floor for its annual Charity Day.
Cantor Fitzgerald was headquartered on floors 101 to 105 of One World Trade Center on 9/11. Two-thirds of the company's New York workforce was lost in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Every year on Sept. 11, the company donates its revenues from the day and employees donate their day's pay to the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and other charities to remember all the lives lost that fateful day 13 years ago.
The relief fund was established after 9/11 to provide aid to the families of Cantor employees who died in the attacks. The fund has since expanded to benefit charities around the world.
Actress Edie Falco, rapper and actor Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson, and the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony were among those who participated in the event at the BGC office on Water Street.
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"It was important to try to come down and help BGC with the relief fund," said New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia. "The amount of people that showed up today lets you know that we haven't forgotten."
"It's about making a difference the way we're supposed to make a difference," said Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, of Run D.M.C. "It's about people helping people."
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For New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, it's a dark day for the department, but also a day to look forward.
"By doing this it shows that we have great spirit in this country and we won't let what happened on 9/11 spoil that," Nigro said.
Actress Rooney Mara was in 10th grade math class when the planes hit the twin towers.
"It's amazing to think that it's been 13 years," Mara said. "I think it changed everyone's lives, but to be that young and to have your whole world change that much it was really something."
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