UNCF Host Preview Party for AN Evening of Stars Presented by Target

Sept. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- On Friday, September 23, 2011, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) will host a Preview Party to screen the broadcast of UNCF An Evening of Stars® Presented by Target at J Restaurant and Lounge located at 1119 South Olive Street in Los Angeles, CA. Curtis R. Silvers, Jr., UNCF Area Director expects the kickoff event to attract more than 200 attendees to raise over $100,000 for UNCF, its member colleges and their students.  Tickets for the event are $100.00 and can be purchased at The Los Angeles Area Office at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 675, Los Angeles, CA (213.639.3800) as well as will be available at the door. All proceeds will benefit UNCF’s mission of making sure that every child gets a good education from pre-school through college.  In addition, a special presentation of The Kinsey Collection by noted philanthropists Bernard and Shirley Kinsey along with jazz pianist Gail Jhonson. Radio personality from Radio Free 102.3 KJLH, Adai Lamar will host this exciting event.

“This year’s UNCF An Evening of Stars is filled with high energy performances and combines the hottest talent with inspiring testimonies of students who are committed to getting a good education,” said Curtis R. Silvers, Jr., UNCF Area Director.  “We are thankful for all the celebrities, sponsors and supporters who understand the importance of educating our future.  They are giving students the opportunity to earn college degrees that will enable them to compete in the global economy.”  

UNCF An Evening of Stars® Presented by Target, will air on Sunday, September 25th on BET at 10 p.m. ET/PT and 9 p.m. CT.  The program features amazing stars including Patti Labelle, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Anthony Hamilton, Miguel, Marsha Ambrosius, Musiq Soulchild, and Estelle.

The parade of celebrities joining UNCF President and CEO Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., includes Tatyana Ali (“Fresh Prince of Bel Air”), Pooch Hall (BET’s “The Game”), Jill Marie Jones (CW’s “Girlfriends”), Coby Bell (BET’s “The Game”), David Banner (Stomp The Yard 2), Sean Patrick Thomas (Save The Last Dance), Lance Gross (TBS’s “House Of Payne”), Sheryl Underwood (CBS’s “The Talk”), Terrence J (BET’s “106 & Park”), Monique Jackson and Kita Williams (VH1’s “The TO Show”), Shaun Robinson (“Access Hollywood”), Kenny Smith (TNT’s “Inside the NBA”), Brian White (TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age”) and the national presidents of the Greek-letter organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
The stars on the UNCF An Evening of Stars® stage contributed not only their music, but also special appeals throughout the program for viewers to help UNCF students get to and through college. From the stage, the stars asked the studio audience and TV viewers to text "UNCF" to 50555 on their cell phones to donate $10 to help students get the education they need and our nation needs them to have.
This year’s show is made possible by Target, Presenting Sponsor of UNCF An Evening of Stars®, and National Sponsors McDonald's and AT&T. Official and Major Sponsors include American Airlines, Wells Fargo, BET Networks, Buick and the U.S Army.


About UNCF An Evening of Stars®
UNCF An Evening of Stars®, formerly the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars®, first aired in 1979, and since that time has become one of the longest running and most successful televised events in U.S. history. UNCF An Evening of Stars® has raised more than $200 million that has helped hundreds of thousands of students attend college and graduate.  In recent years, UNCF An Evening Of Stars® has featured a Who's Who of remarkable talent, including Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Chaka Khan, Ne-Yo, Nancy Wilson, Beyoncé, Anita Baker, Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, Fantasia, Joss Stone, Jennifer Hudson, Michael Bolton, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Hall and Oates, Ziggy Marley, Maroon 5, and scores of others. UNCF An Evening of Stars® received NAACP Image Awards for its 2006 tribute to Stevie Wonder, its 2008 tribute to Smokey Robinson and its 2010 tribute to Lionel Richie. Learn more about UNCF An Evening of Stars® at www.UNCF.org.

About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization.  To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. UNCF supports education through scholarships and other programs, by supporting its 38 member colleges and universities, and by advocating for the importance of minority education.  UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs.  UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 21 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees.  The UNCF logo features the torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.

# # #

The Gilmore Group is a full service marketing company with tradational and non-traditional capabilities. We specialize in integrated marketing solutions to a diverse roster of clients in the entertainment, corporate, educational and sports industries.