(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 31, 2011 ) - Orlando, FL - UCP of Central Florida has confirmed celebrity hosts Dan Aykroyd and Cheryl Hines for the 2012 An Evening at the Palace charity gala. The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

“Our 19th annual gala is certain to be a star-studded event,” said Dr. Ilene Wilkins, President and CEO of UCP of Central Florida, an Orlando charter school. “With celebrity hosts of this caliber, we are expecting a packed house and possibly one of our best shows ever.”

Hines is a two-time Emmy-nominated actress for her role as Cheryl David on HBO's Golden Globe Award-winning series Curb Your Enthusiasm. She is also starring in a new television series called Suburgatory airing on ABC. As one of UCP’s biggest celebrity supporters and an active member of UCP’s National Board of Trustees, Hines has hosted the event for many years.

Dan Aykroyd is best known as one of the original cast members from Saturday Night Live and for his roles in blockbuster movies like The Blues Brothers, Ghostbusters, and Driving Miss Daisy, a movie that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Most recently he starred as the voice of Yogi Bear in the 2010 animated movie, Yogi Bear, also starring Justin Timberlake. This will be Aykroyd’s first time at UCP’s An Evening at the Palace Gala.

“Thanks to the support of celebrities like Aykroyd and Hines, and along with the support of many local businesses that donate production items, silent auction items and beverages, our annual gala is one of our largest fundraising nights of the year for UCP,” said Wilkins.

All proceeds benefit support, education and therapy programs provided by UCP of Central Florida for children with and without disabilities.

The Orlando charity gala is also an opportunity to celebrate the honorees of two very special awards: the Jack Holloway Star of Gratitude and the Jackie Bailes Legacy Award. The Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation is this year’s recipient of the Jack Holloway Star of Gratitude Award. The award is named after Jack Holloway, founder of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, for his life's work as an entrepreneur and philanthropist of many worthwhile causes including UCP of Central Florida. Honorees who receive the Star of Gratitude Award have demonstrated, through their community and philanthropic efforts, a commitment to continuing the legacy of a man whose love of serving children with disabilities was as large as his dreams.

Dr. Donald and Mrs. Cindy Diebel are the fourth recipients of the Jackie Bailes Legacy Award. The award is named after special individuals whose love and guidance has helped UCP children and families build a better life, to feel respected in the goals they set to achieve and to realize they are an important part of our community.

Sponsorships and tickets are available for UCP’s An Evening at the Palace Gala. For more information, visit www.ucpgala.com or contact Martha Mannarino, UCP’s Senior Director of Development and Marketing, at (407) 852-3352 or mmannarino@ucpcfl.org.

Press Release Courtesy of Online PR Media (http://bit.ly/sSACXg)

ABOUT UCP OF CENTRAL FLORIDA:
UCP of Central Florida is the expert for children with special needs and provides support, education and therapy services for children, birth through age 21, with and without disabilities. Services are offered at six locations throughout Central Florida: downtown Orlando, East Orlando near UCF, Kissimmee, Lake Mary, Pine Hills and Winter Garden. More than 2,400 children and their families received services provided by UCP last year. For more information about UCP of Central Florida, visit www.ucpcfl.org or call (407) 852-3300.