Jillian Flaherty Wins Final Live Performance Round of the 2022 Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Idol Presented by The City of Boca Raton

**2022 RoofClaim.com National Anthem Idol Competition Winner: – Jillian Flaherty – Florida Atlantic University student, a native of Lake Worth**

Audience and Judges Votes Combined to Select
Performer of the National Anthem at the 2022 Bowl Game;
Funds Raised for Bowl Charity Partner Spirit of Giving

Boca Raton, FL – Before a packed house filled with city and county, business and community leaders; finalists’ friends and family and Bowl fans, five semi-finalists took the stage Friday evening in the 2022 RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Idol presented by The City of Boca Raton. Jillian Flaherty triumphed after performing live in two rounds to win the opportunity to sing the National Anthem at the 2022 bowl game on Tuesday, December 20 at FAU Stadium. Held at the Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center, the event benefited the Bowl’s Charity Partner Spirit of Giving and its Annual Holiday Gift Drive that brings holiday magic to thousands of children in need.

Chosen through an open-to-the-public round of online voting, the five finalists hailed from Boca Raton, Lake Worth, Wellington, and Tallahassee. Each performed a song of their choice for the live audience and a combination of audience votes and judges’ selections determined the top three.

The top three voted to perform the National Anthem in the final round of the competition were:

Jillian Flaherty, 20, soloist, amateur, Lake Worth
Hadas Levy, 40, soloist, professional, Boca Raton
Emily Shecter, 21, soloist, professional, Wellington

Flaherty, the winner of the 2022 RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl talent competition presented by The City of Boca Raton said she is beyond excited to be given the opportunity to perform the National Anthem to a stadium crowd prior to the nationally televised game kick-off. She will receive 10 game tickets for family and friends that include sideline access during the performance.

The Lake Worth, Fla. native started singing in grade school and hasn’t stopped since. She is in her second year at Florida Atlantic University and is currently majoring in music. Flaherty is a member of the Chamber Singers and Cantemos, a Latin American choir, at FAU. The 20-year-old entered the competition because she feels that singing the National Anthem is one of the most fulfilling experiences one can have as a singer.

“I love to support our country with the nation’s anthem, and as a singer I couldn’t think of a
better way to represent my department, school and country,” shared Flaherty.

ESPN/WPTV Television Sports Anchor Keli Ferguson served as emcee. Those serving on the panel of judges were:

Andrea O’Rourke, Deputy Mayor of the City of Boca Raton, the National Anthem Competition’s Presenting Sponsor
Shanna St. John: Executive Director, Nat King Cole Generation Hope
Molly Jade Vogel: Theater, Film, TV and Vocal Performer

“Each year the national anthem competition talent is steeper, the final live rounds are more crowd-pleasing, the audience is more engaged and our charitable partner, Spirit of Giving, leaves also as a big winner,” said RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Executive Director Doug Mosley. “I congratulate Jillian for bringing her talent and dedication to win this competition and thank bowl partner the City of Boca Raton for its support in making this lead-in event a resounding success.”

The Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl is a celebrated annual holiday tradition in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County that lives up to its other name “Boca’s Biggest Annual Outdoor Party.” It is also the only collegiate Bowl game in Palm Beach County featuring all the pomp and circumstance of a traditional bowl event. It is a high-energy, entertaining experience for both college football fans and non-fans alike and allows the national spotlight to shine on Boca Raton and Palm Beach County. For more community countdown events that benefit Bowl Charity Partner Spirit of Giving and game week info, visit roofclaimbocaratonbowl.com and/or follow through social media on Facebook (Facebook.com/BocaBowl), Twitter (@BocaBowl), and Instagram (@BocaBowl).

Next Bowl Community Lead-In Event:
Great Chefs Tailgate Showcase Presented by CP Group and BRiC

The public is once again invited to bring their football “cheer” for Palm Beach County’s only college bowl to the Bowl’s next lead-in event, on Wednesday, November 9, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. as more than 25 of the area’s top chefs, brew masters and mixologists compete at the Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Great Chefs Tailgate Showcase Presented by CP Group and BRiC. Held in true outdoor tailgate tradition on the lawn at BRiC, featuring a diverse abundance of creative culinary, craft beer and cocktail samplings. The “fan and fund” raising event will be located lakeside at 5000 T-Rex Avenue, Boca Raton, Fla. (off Yamato Road) where plenty of free parking is available.

Top chefs from local restaurants, country clubs, hotels, and catering services, as well as brewery and mixology pros, will bring their A-game to please the palates of event-goers and a panel of “foodie” judges. College football fans network and rally in “community pride” to raise funds to support the bowl’s charity partner, Spirit of Giving, and its Annual Holiday Gift Drive that brings holiday magic to more than 7,000 underprivileged children. To purchase tickets to Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Great Chefs Tailgate Showcase Presented by CP Group and BRiC on November 9, visit SpiritOfGivingNetwork.com.

For more information on the 2022 Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl set to kick-off on Tuesday, December 20 at 7 p.m. at FAU Stadium, lead-in events, and bowl game tickets, visit RoofClaimBocaRatonBowl.com.

ABOUT THE ROOFCLAIM.COM BOCA RATON BOWL

The Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl is one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl debuted in 2014 and has been well received in the community through its first eight years. It has twice held the distinction of matching up two conference champions – Marshall University vs. Northern Illinois University (2014), and UAB vs. Northern Illinois (2018). In all, six conference champions and another three conference division champions have played in the game. Among the bowl’s alumni who have moved on to the NFL are current New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (BYU, 2020), Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (FAU, 2017) and Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott (Memphis, 2016). For more information about the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl visit RoofClaimBocaRatonBowl.com or follow through social media on Facebook (Facebook.com/BocaBowl), Twitter (@BocaBowl), and Instagram (@BocaBowl).

ESPN EVENTS

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2022, the 32-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which account for approximately 400 hours of live programming, while reaching nearly 64 million viewers and attracting over 800,000 annual attendees. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. For more information, visit the official website www.roofclaimbocaratonbowl, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.