GIRLS WHO ROCK, Concert Fundraiser for Girls’ Education, Announces New Artist Lineup

May 26, 2011 - PRLog -- NEW YORK, NY – GIRLS WHO ROCK, the debut concert benefiting educational non-profit She’s the First, which brought major international recording artists Kat DeLuna, Shontelle, and Lenka to the stage at Internet Week New York last year, announces its return on Friday, June 10, at the Gramercy Theatre, with a new all-star performance lineup. Tickets are now available, starting at $35, and online donations are accepted for the cause on http://girlswhorock.org.

Performances are confirmed by platinum-recording artist JoJo, about to release her new album Jumping Trains on Blackground/Interscope Records (several years ago, she was the youngest solo artist ever to score a No. 1 single in the U.S.); Nikki Jean, who releases her debut album Pennies in a Jar on S-Curve Records this July; Eddy, the first to produce a music video on the iPad2; KimberlyNichole, featured in Vogue; along with DJ Kiss, emcee Touré, host of Fuse TV and a Rolling Stone music journalist, and special appearance by Data, robotic standup actor and comedian, presented by TED fellow Heather Knight.

The most honorable performance will be music legend Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge, recognized as one of the most successful girl groups of all time for their Grammy Award-winning hit “We Are Family.” She will introduce Sledge Girl, the Millennial daughters of Sister Sledge, rising artists in their own right.

GIRLS WHO ROCK aims to raise at least $20,000 in this one night and via a month-long online fundraising campaign on CauseVox (http://girlswhorock.causevox.com), to sponsor girls‟ education at the Arlington Academy of Hope, which is the partner school of She‟s the First in Uganda, a country where less than a 20% of girls graduate from high school. On CauseVox, donors from the blogosphere and Twitterverse are asked to give $11 in honor of a graduate they know this year, joining GIRLS WHO ROCK’s Class of 2011 Campaign, so that these 42 girls in Uganda will be able to reach the same milestone. Ticket profits and all donations online go to the cause, as GIRLS WHO ROCK is an all-volunteer run event.

"We're thrilled to see GIRLS WHO ROCK return to Internet Week New York after successfully launching at last year's festival," said David-Michel Davies, Chairman of Internet Week New York. "GIRLS WHO ROCK is an excellent example of how musicians and techies can come together for an important cause."

An innovative new spin on the concert is that GIRLS WHO ROCK will pilot launch a volunteer program, GIRLS WHO ROCK Gives Back. The initiative connects NY high school and college students to professionals. “Our goal is to inspire new ideas for collaborating in technology, entertainment, and design, which all happens in the production of GIRLS WHO ROCK,” said concert co-founder Cynthia Hellen.

This year, GIRLS WHO ROCK partners with popchips to give those who buy tickets online in May the chance to win an iPad. Feature partners and in-kind donors include UStream, Live Nation, Differences Magazine, and Fender Musical Instruments.

Stay connected to GIRLS WHO ROCK on Facebook, via twitter at @GirlsWhoRockNY, and on girlswhorock.org for updates.
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About GIRLS WHO ROCK:
GIRLS WHO ROCK is an annual concert in NYC that aims to bring together the strongest voices in technology, entertainment, and design to advocate and fundraise for girls' education worldwide. The concert is a partnership with the not-for-profit organization She‟s the First (shesthefirst.org) and sponsors girls' education in developing world countries, while mentoring local student volunteers to be leaders. GIRLS WHO ROCK has been featured on glamour.com, The New York Daily News, The Huffington Post, seventeen.com, NBC New York, among other major media outlets, and has had the honor of partnering with Flip Video and Levi‟s Shape What‟s to Come campaign, in addition to Internet Week New York.

ABOUT SHE’S THE FIRST:
She's the First is a not-for-profit that sponsors girls‟ education in the developing world. We encourage young people to creatively fundraise for girls‟ sponsorships with their online and offline social networks. For sponsors, She‟s the First provides community, leadership opportunities, and a sense of global citizenship. For underprivileged girls, a sponsorship is life-changing: Most will be the first in their families to graduate.
She’s the First partners with charitable NGOs that run the sponsorship programs in third-world countries. The She‟s the First team extensively interviews all partners and maintains a close relationship with program directors year-round, posting their firsthand updates on the girls to www.shesthefirst.org/blog.