Three-Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina Brings Renewed Commitment to Help Rebuild and Revitalize New Orleans

Three-Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina Brings Renewed Commitment to Help Rebuild and Revitalize New Orleans

National 'Music In Motion' Tour Fundraising Initiative Reminds People That Three Years Later, Much Work Still Remains to Be Accomplished

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf shore, people around the country and across the world generously donated relief funds and volunteered their time to help. This week marks the third anniversary of that devastating day -- and a reminder that help and contributions are still very much needed to bring this region fully back on its feet.

So much has been accomplished in these past three years, though so much more is yet to be done. This summer, leading up to the anniversary this week, Patron tequila has partnered with New Orleans' St. Bernard Project and Preservation Hall to create a national fundraising initiative called the Music in Motion tour (http://www.musicinmotiontour.com/). The initiative is one of many such programs currently under way to help complete the important work of revitalizing the region. The centerpiece of this program is a vintage 1927 train car, the Patron Tequila Express, which is riding the rails from city to city collecting donations and offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people who raise the most money to ride the train to attend music-related events. The train departed from New Orleans last month and has already visited such cities as Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Washington, Baltimore, Boston, Pittsburgh (and all points between).

This week, the train car is in Denver at the Democratic National Convention, where a reception is planned to honor the St. Bernard Project, a recipient of a Friends of New Orleans "Hero of the Storm" award. Friends of New Orleans is a nonpartisan membership group of people from across the U.S. and abroad who care about the New Orleans region. From there, the train will travel to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota for similar events.

"Our rail car was actually used quite often by political dignitaries, a good many of them from Louisiana, back before air travel became commonplace," says Pam Dzierzanowski, director of national events for The Patron Spirits Company. "The Patron Tequila Express train car, which has been completely refurbished to its original 1920s grandeur, has a historical tie to New Orleans, having been based there for several years. It's truly the perfect vehicle for our Music in Motion tour, to spread the word across the U.S. that New Orleans still needs our support."

To participate in the Music in Motion tour, people simply log on to http://www.musicinmotiontour.com/ and select one of the two participating local charities: St. Bernard Project or Preservation Hall. The site will then direct visitors to set up a fundraising page through FirstGiving.com, where they can invite friends and family to start donating. People who raise the most funds will be eligible to win prizes, including the opportunity to ride the train with their friends to attend music events throughout the country. The next major prizes on the tour are an all-expense-paid trip for two to the 2008 Video Music Awards in Los Angeles in early September (including a visit to the exclusive celebrity-attended Style Villa lounge atop the Thompson Beverly Hills Hotel), and a red-carpet event in New York the week of September 15 that includes an auction of one-of-a-kind music memorabilia. Most important, all money raised directly benefits efforts in New Orleans to rebuild homes and help bring music and musicians back to the city.

The St. Bernard Project is a community-based organization that began in August 2006 to rebuild homes that were damaged by floodwaters from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in St. Bernard Parish. St. Bernard Parish is a uniquely tight-knit, working-class community adjacent to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, the area hardest hit by the storms. To date, the St. Bernard Project has rebuilt 131 homes and is currently working on more than 30 others. Using volunteer labor, skilled supervisors and donations for building supplies, it takes an average of 12 weeks and $12,000 worth of materials to completely rebuild a house.

Preservation Hall is the best-known and most respected music organization in New Orleans. Founded in 1961, Preservation Hall is a sanctuary dedicated to protect and honor New Orleans jazz. The hall's mission, to perpetuate the musical and cultural traditions of New Orleans, took on an increasingly important urgency post-Katrina. Through Preservation Hall's music education programs, the organization is ensuring the future of the city's great musical legacy through student/musician lessons with jazz veterans, after-school mentorship and cultural awareness.

Partners on the Patron Music in Motion tour include Gibson, Fiji Water, and Zazzle. For more details about the tour, please visit http://www.musicinmotiontour.com/. For information about The Patron Spirits Company and its portfolio of ultra-premium spirits (Patron tequila, Pyrat rum and Ultimat vodka), visit http://www.patronspirits.com/.

Contact:
Greg Cohen
The Richards Group
214-891-3544 office
917-714-8237 mobile
greg_cohen@richards.com

Source: Patron Music in Motion Tour

CONTACT: Greg Cohen of The Richards Group, +1-214-891-3544, mobile,
+1-917-714-8237, greg_cohen@richards.com, for Patron Music in Motion Tour

Web Site: http://www.musicinmotiontour.com/
http://www.patronspirits.com/

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