Stars Come Out to Honor Lionel Richie For An Evening of Stars(R) Presented By Target

Stars Come Out to Honor Lionel Richie For An Evening of Stars(R) Presented By Target

UNCF Launches Star Power Campaign

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An all-star lineup of performers and presenters came out to celebrate the career and commitment to education of Lionel Richie at the taping of UNCF's 31st annual television special, An Evening of Stars(R) on this past Saturday. UNCF presented Richie with the Award of Excellence for his successful career and longtime support for education. Richie is a graduate of the prestigious UNCF member school, Tuskegee University. An Evening of Stars(R) (AEOS) Tribute to Lionel Richie Presented by Target taped before a live audience at the Pasadena Civic in Pasadena, California and will air nationwide on January 23rd and 24th, 2010 on BET Networks and WGN and on more than 40 stations in major cities.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080117/DC11749)

This year's roster of performers included nine-time Grammy Award winner Natalie Cole, Akon, Jesse McCartney, Grammy-Award winner, Chrisette Michele, Boney James, Katharine McPhee, Ledisi, Johnny Gill, James Ingram, Brian McKnight, Mary Mary's Erica Campbell and 25-time Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder.

A parade of celebrities joined UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael Lomax and performers in celebrating Richie. Presenters included Tom Joyner, Shemar Moore, Terrence Howard, Romeo, Cedric The Entertainer, Justin Chambers, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Gina Ravera, Tracie Thoms, Regina King, Lauren Velez, Paige Hurd, Terri Crews, Suzanne de Passe, Merri Dee, Extra's AJ Calloway and Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson.

"It is such an honor to receive this award from UNCF," said Lionel Richie. "I am a product of a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and that experience has had a tremendous influence on my life. I understand the importance of a college education and the impact it can have on our children and our nation. I am honored to join stars like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Lou Rawls, Quincy Jones, Smokey Robinson and Patti LaBelle who have received UNCF's Award of Excellence and who support UNCF and its students."

UNCF also launched "STAR POWER," its second AEOS online campaign. STAR POWER gives Americans a chance to help deserving students go to college. From September 12, 2009 through January 25, 2010, education supporters will be able to join regional teams to help UNCF raise awareness for minority education and raise funds to help students go to college. All donors are encouraged to post the StarPower link on their Facebook and MySpace pages. To learn more, visit www.UNCF.org and click on the STAR POWER icon.

"STAR POWER is a great way for people to stand with UNCF in support of giving all Americans the opportunity to get a college education," said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D. UNCF president and CEO. "President Obama has committed the country to regaining world leadership in the percentage of citizens with college degrees. Lionel Richie and all the artists who participated in this year's AEOS are contributing to the achievement of this goal. We hope everyone will follow their example, and visit www.uncf.org and click on Star Power to help kids get the college degrees they need and our nation needs them to have."

Woven throughout An Evening of Stars(R) are reminders of UNCF's work on behalf of education. There is a special appreciation of Michael Jackson, which recalled the King of Pop's legacy of generosity and foresight in endowing a UNCF scholarship program that has helped more than 500 students graduate from UNCF member colleges. Another segment focused on the scholarship program established by Cedric the Entertainer, and included a visit by Cedric to scholarship recipients. A segment about UNCF's highly successful Gates Millennium Scholars Program, funded by the foundation established by Bill and Melinda Gates reports that the program is being seen as a blueprint for increasing the number of college graduates and helping to meet the President's objective..

This year's show was made possible by Target, the Presenting Sponsor of AEOS, and by national corporate sponsors McDonald's and AT&T. Official sponsors of An Evening of Stars(R) are American Airlines, Wachovia, a Wells Fargo Company, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., BET Networks and WGN.

Returning for his 13th year as executive producer and director of UNCF's "An Evening of Stars(R)" was six-time Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz. Horvitz has directed the annual Academy Awards(R) telecast for 13 years, helmed the Prime Time Emmy Awards(R), and directed The Kennedy Center Honors(R). Also returning for their 13th year were producers Cort Casady and Bill Urban, who were joined by producer Deborah Read.

For more information on AEOS, STARPOWER and UNCF, visit www.uncf.org.

About An Evening of Stars(R)

An Evening of Stars(R) (AEOS), formerly the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars(R), first aired in 1979, and since that time has become one of the longest running and most successful televised events in U.S. history. Lou Rawls, a spokesperson for UNCF and champion for AEOS for more than 25 years, is credited with helping raise more than $200 million to help UNCF scholarship recipients and member institutions and their students pay the cost of higher education. In recent years, AEOS has featured a Who's Who of recognizable talent, including Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Chaka Khan, Ne-Yo, Nancy Wilson, Beyonce, 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. An Evening of Stars(R) received an Image Award for its 2006 tribute to Stevie Wonder and the 2008 tribute to Smokey Robinson. Learn more about AEOS at www.uncf.org/aeos.

About UNCF

UNCF -- the 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 students' education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 39 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 18 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."(R) Learn more at www.UNCF.org

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080117/DC11749
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: United Negro College Fund

CONTACT: Joye Griffin, UNCF, +1-703-205-3480 Office, +1-703-483-5398
Mobile, Joye.Griffin@uncf.org; or Toni Thompson, Toni Thompson PR,
+1-310-702-0926, ToniThompsonPR@Verizon.net, for UNCF

Web Site: http://www.uncf.org/

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