Handshake Foundation hosts "The Huddle" tonight at Vue

Help connect student athletes with business mentors and scholarship opportunities tonight at the Handshake Foundation's "Huddle." The fundraiser takes place from 5:30-7:30 this evening at Vue, 95 Liberty St, Columbus, OH 43215. Tickets for The Huddle are $100 and can be purchased online at EventBrite.

More about the event and the Handshake Foundation:

The Handshake Foundation, created by retired DSW CFO Doug Probst will host its inaugural fundraiser this Thursday at Vue. Named "The Huddle," the event will feature nationally recognized author and speaker Dr. Kevin Elko, who has been a consultant to seven BCS National Championship football teams, five NFL teams as well as numerous corporations including Morgan Stanley and Abbott Labs. The Huddle will also feature self-introductions by the 2014 Handshake Foundation student-athletes.

The sponsors for the event are Big Lots, Deloitte, DSW and Summerfield Advertising.

Founded in 2011, the Handshake Foundation is a combination mentorship and scholarship program that seeks to partner high school athletes with local business leaders. The program's first year, students from three high schools took part (Gahanna Lincoln, Reynoldsburg and Whitehall Yearling). In 2013 that number grew to eight and in 2014, 16 area high schools are currently participating in the program.

The genesis of The Handshake Foundation was an informal conversation between Probst and a professional baseball scout at a youth baseball game. When asked about what he looked for in prospects, the scout Joe Morlan, Sr. said "If he doesn't give me a firm handshake and look me in the eye, I don't even go to the game."