YMCA of Central Florida to Host the 21st Annual Celebration of Prayer with Keynote Speaker Lucas Boyce

ORLANDO, FL – The YMCA of Central Florida will welcome nearly 1,000 people to its 21^st Annual Celebration of Prayer breakfast, the largest event of its kind during Holy Week, on Thursday, April 2, 2015 at the First Baptist Church in Orlando. “For more than twenty years, the Y has united people of all faiths together at the annual Celebration of Prayer Breakfast, to give thanks and pray for all of the individuals in our community, specifically for youth, families and people in need,” said Rick Shreve, YMCA of Central Florida’s Director of Christian Initiatives. The keynote speaker for this year’s prayer breakfast is Lucas Boyce, the acclaimed author of Living Proof: From Foster Care to the White House and NBA, an autobiography where he chronicles his journey as a premature baby born to a drug-addicted mother, the academic struggles he faced as a child, and the love of an adopted mother who instilled his determination to succeed. “His story will both captivate and inspire the audience to live by faith in all aspects of their lives,” said Dan Wilcox, YMCA of Central Florida President and CEO. As a former foster child and “Y Kid,” Boyce overcame incredible obstacles to graduate from college, serve in the White House Office of Public Affairs, and become one of the most promising young executives in the NBA, where he currently serves as Director of Business Development and Legislative Affairs for the Orlando Magic. Boyce oversees strategic planning, with a focus on developing downtown Orlando’s new sports and entertainment district. As a dedicated public servant, Boyce is committed to empowering the community with his message of faith and perseverance. He currently chairs Gov. Rick Scott’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Advisory Group, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees for Florida A&M University. The breakfast will take place at 7 a.m. the First Baptist Church of Orlando, which is located at 3000 South John Young Parkway. Proceeds from the breakfast will benefit the local communities that the Y serves across six Central Florida counties, which include Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake and Marion counties. Tables of 8 are available for $300 and individual seats are $50 each. Please call (407) 896-9220 or [email protected] to reserve your ticket. About the YMCA of Central Florida The YMCA of Central Florida is one of the area’s largest nonprofits committed to strengthening communities across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake and Marion counties and the local communities it serves. It is a diverse organization of men, women and children joined by a shared commitment to Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. Each day 35,000 Central Florida residents are impacted by the Y when a mentor inspires a child, individuals make healthy choices and a community comes together for common good. In 2014, this YMCA Association of over 1,800 employees across engaged over 235,000 residents and invested, during a challenging economy, $10.2 million in its local communities. The YMCA of Central Florida also provided $9.4 million in financial assistance to children and families, which supported lasting personal and social change.