Jurassic 5 and Jem Headline Sallie Mae Benefit at the House of Blues

Jurassic 5 and Jem Headline Sallie Mae Benefit at the House of Blues Annual Concert to Raise Money for Shade Tree Women's Shelter LAS VEGAS, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The buzz is building about the musical line-up at the annual Sallie Mae benefit concert for Las Vegas' Shade Tree Women's Shelter, a local non-profit organization that provides services to more than 4,000 homeless and abused women and children each month. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041130/DCTU054 ) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030617/SLMLOGO-a ) The Dec. 3 event will feature gold record hip-hop group Jurassic 5, known by fans as "J5," and Jem, whose hit single "Come on Closer" is the theme song for the new Julia Roberts and Jude Law movie release, "Closer." Portland, Oregon's Geoff Byrd will open the show, to be held at the House of Blues, and British rocker John Waite will host the concert for the sixth year. "This line-up is drawing interest from music fans from throughout the region," said Jeff Whorley, executive vice president of Sallie Mae, the nation's leading provider of education funding. "With the support of these incredible musicians, Sallie Mae's employees and the community at large, we are expecting our best-ever turn out. Shade Tree meets critical needs in the Las Vegas community and deserves our help." For six years, Sallie Mae's 300-person call-center in Summerlin, Nev. has hosted the benefit concert for Shade Tree by giving up their annual holiday party and raising money through ticket sales. Sallie Mae employees volunteer their time to organize the benefit. The Sallie Mae Fund, the company's charitable arm, matches each dollar raised up to $30,000. Brenda Dizon, executive director of Shade Tree Shelter, said, "The Sallie Mae employees here make this event happen, and then the Sallie Mae Fund matching dollars put us over the top. This benefit has become one of the Shelter's biggest fundraisers each year." Over the past five years, Sallie Mae has raised and contributed more than $200,000 for Shade Tree. "Shade Tree VI: Songs for The Shelter" is open to the public. General admission tickets are $25 and reserved seats are $40. A limited number of $100 host tickets include admission to a private pre-show acoustic performance by John Waite and newcomer Holly Brook, and a private after show party with all the performers. The concert at the House of Blues, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd, begins at 8:00 P.M. The pre-show performance begins at 6:30 P.M. Host ticket holders also are invited to the after-show party with all of the evenings' performers in the Oba Room at the House of Blues. All tickets can be purchased by contacting the House of Blues ticket office at 702-632-7600. Sallie Mae has a strong tradition of supporting many important causes and community needs. In November BusinessWeek magazine named Sallie Mae one of 2003's Top Corporate Givers in its annual survey of philanthropy supported by U.S. businesses. The magazine ranks Sallie Mae fifteenth among 183 companies included in the survey for cash gifts to charitable causes. SLM Corporation (NYSE:SLM), commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation's leading provider of education funding, managing more than $98 billion in student loans for more than 7 million borrowers. The company primarily provides federally guaranteed student loans originated under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), and offers comprehensive information and resources to guide students, parents and guidance professionals through the financial aid process. Sallie Mae was established in 1973 as a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) called the Student Loan Marketing Association, and began the privatization process in 1997. Since then, the parent company name has changed, most recently to SLM Corporation. Through its specialized subsidiaries and divisions, Sallie Mae also provides an array of consumer credit loans, including those for lifelong learning and K-12 education, and business and technical products and services for colleges and universities. More information is available at http://www.salliemae.com/. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, other than the Student Loan Marketing Association, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States. The Shade Tree is Clark County's primary 24-hour emergency shelter specifically for women and women with children who find themselves in a crisis-situation. It provides an environment that helps each client achieve self-sufficiency. With steady income, most clients can move out of the shelter and live independently. Established in l990, The Shade Tree is an independent, non-profit agency. The Shelter's Web site is http://www.theshadetree.org/. Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041130/DCTU054 Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030617/SLMLOGO-a AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Sallie Mae CONTACT: Jennifer Galloway of Sallie Mae, +1-703-984-6809, or jennifer.galloway@slma.com Web site: http://www.salliemae.com/ http://www.theshadetree.org/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/827187.html ------- Profile: International Entertainment