Dr. Marilyn A. Fraser, CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH), has announced the hosts for Sportsball 2022, the 28th Annual Black Tie & Sneakers Gala, which will take place on Thursday, October 20th at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.
The event benefits the ongoing community health education programs and research initiatives of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. This year’s Sportsball 2022 celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the non-profit organization. Each year, the Institute honors individuals and organizations that are making significant contributions to urban communities in the areas of health, education, medical research, community service, and philanthropy.
FOX 5 Good Day New York meteorologist Mike Woods and Good Day New York traffic reporter Ines Rosales will co-host the gala for the first time. Mike is a 2018 Sportsball honoree, and both Mike and Ines are longtime supporters of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.
Emmy-winning Mike Woods joined FOX 5 NY in 2001 as the weekend meteorologist and Good Day New York feature reporter. He became the morning meteorologist for Good Day New York in 2003. Mike has covered many major weather events in the Tri-State area, including blizzards, Nor’ Easters, hurricanes, and heat waves. In 2011, he spent 72 hours on-air covering Hurricane Irene.
His first job on the air was in Eastern North Carolina, where he worked as the morning and noon weather anchor from 1993 to 1996. While in North Carolina, he covered several hurricanes, including Bertha and Fran in 1996. Before heading to New York, Mike provided the forecasts in Phoenix from 1996 to 2001. Mike holds a degree in Rhetoric and Communications, with an emphasis on atmospheric science, from U.C. Davis.
He has been honored several times for his leadership and extensive charitable work. In 2018, Mike was honored with the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health Leadership Award. In 2009, McDonald’s presented him with the Black Media Legends award. In 2013, he was honored by HeartShare. Mike is a Patron for the Fox News Apprentice Program, a diversity program that assists students and young professionals interested in pursuing a career in broadcasting and journalism.
Mike raised over $10,000 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through the program, Team in Training, which is dedicated to training runners, walkers, triathletes, cyclists, and hikers for events to raise money for cancer patients and their loved ones. He is an active supporter of 100 Black Men Inc. of New York and its Eagle Academy, the Ronald McDonald House, Housing Works, AYUDA for the Arts, Big Brothers Big Sisters, HeartShare, ADAPT Community Network, and other major non-profit organizations helping the community.
Ines Rosales is the traffic anchor on FOX 5’s Good Day New York. She joined FOX 5 in 2007. Rosales joined FOX 5 from Metro Traffic, where she worked both as a reporter and camera operator, controlling the traffic and sky cameras for five New York City television stations. She also served as traffic reporter on various radio stations both in English and Spanish, NY1, and as a freelance traffic anchor for WNBC. Ines is a New Jersey native from Newark and Belleville. She graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2004. She has covered many traffic incidents throughout her career at FOX 5. Some of the major ones are weather-related including the blizzard in 2008 that left cars stranded under snow on the Long Island Expressway. She also covered hurricanes Irene and Sandy. Ines is a longtime supporter of many causes and charities throughout the New York area. In 2015, HeartShare honored Ines for her charitable work.
The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH) was founded in 1992 by tennis champion, activist, and humanitarian, Arthur Ashe, to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for underserved communities. As an organization, the Arthur Ashe Institute is focused on promoting health equity through a social justice lens. The Institute utilizes a model of community health empowerment to develop and implement innovative community-based health promotion and research programs to encourage individuals to be advocates for their own health and the health of their communities. Another key aspect of the Institute’s work is its focus on increasing the representation of people of color in the health professions by training the next generation of healthcare professionals, which is achieved through its pipeline STEM education programs. The Institute’s vision is the development of an equitable healthcare system that reduces health disparities, improves outcomes for underserved communities of color, and better prepares a more diverse and inclusive healthcare workforce.
AAIUH partners with leaders, activists, legislators, providers, academic institutions, small businesses, and community members on a range of programs and initiatives that address health inequities, including the social determinants of health. Through these efforts, AAIUH works to research and develop innovative community health empowerment programs, provide evidence-based behavioral health interventions in community settings (e.g. barbershops, beauty salons) that help participants address chronic health conditions and advocate for their health, prepare underrepresented minority urban youth to succeed in college and become healthcare providers, and improve healthcare providers’ capacity to address racial health disparities through conferences, trainings, and workshops.
For additional information about Sportsball 2022 and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, go to: www.arthurasheinstitute.org.
