Mississippi Rising Gala Concert to Support Hurricane Recovery Effort Continues to Draw Award Winning Entertainers

Mississippi Rising Gala Concert to Support Hurricane Recovery Effort Continues to Draw Award Winning Entertainers

Event Sponsors Announce Media Support Center and Information Resources for Reporters and Editors

WHAT: Mississippi Rising is a gala fundraising concert in support of the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund. The Fund is a non-profit organization established to serve as a means for corporations, organizations, and individuals to donate money, goods, and services to help Mississippians rebuild their communities.

WHO: Mississippi Rising will be co-chaired by native Mississippi entertainers Morgan Freeman, Faith Hill, Archie and Eli Manning, John Grisham, Brett Favre, Sela Ward and others (http://www.mississippirecovery.com/news/concert.htm). The event is being produced by two native Mississippians, Sam Haskell, III, and Lanny Griffith. Haskell is the former Worldwide Head of Television for The William Morris Agency and Griffith is the CEO of Washington, DC-based lobbying firm Barbour Griffith & Rogers, LLC.

WHEN: Concert Hours -- 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Central, Saturday, October 1, 2005

WHERE: Tad Smith Coliseum, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi

Contacts: General Media Inquiries -- Taylor Gross, M - 202.468.0670 - tgross@theheraldgroup.com Onsite Media Inquiries -- Barbara Lago, D - 662.915.7236 or M - 662.816.8611 - blago@olemiss.edu

Media Center: Facilities will be made available for general media use such as telephone and Internet access. Attending media should bring their own laptops, but some computers will be available. Coaches' offices will be made available for one-on-one interviews, but will need to be scheduled through the media center.

Media Center Phone -- 662.915.7952 (active only during hours of operation)

Media Center Manager -- Barbara Lago, D - 662.915.7236 or M - 662.816.8611

Hours of Operation -- 1:00 pm - 10:30 pm Central, Friday, September 30, 2005 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (midnight) Central, Saturday, October 1, 2005

Media Center Location - Lady Rebels' Basketball Office, Tad Smith Coliseum (offices on south side of facility) -- Campus Map - http://www.olemiss.edu/cmap/ -- Tad Smith Coliseum - www.olemiss.edu/cmap/building.php?building=tadsmith&location=1 -- Parking - A parking lot adjacent to the Media Center will be reserved for this purpose.

Check-In & Credentials -- Media can check-in anytime during the hours listed above and credentials will be available at the Media Center. Please bring valid state or local media identification or photo ID with letter of introduction (on letterhead) from valid media org. NOTE: Check-in deadline for satellite truck personnel is 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Satellite Truck Parking -- A parking lot east of the Coliseum will be reserved for satellite trucks. The lot is adjacent to the Coliseum and the production's press split, from which feeds will be available. Stations bringing satellite trucks must contact UM Media/PR at 662-915-7236 by noon Thursday, Sept. 29, to reserve a space.

Stage Front Press Buffer Zone -- TV and still photographers will be able to move within a small area in front of the stage to obtain coverage from more than one angle. Access to this area will be controlled by production representatives. TV and still photographers should be in place no later than 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The costs of the event are being underwritten by a generous contribution to the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund by UnitedHealth Group Foundation in Minnesota. The television broadcast is made possible by a generous grant from Wal-Mart. Corporate sponsorships are being solicited by a national finance team, and all proceeds will go to the Fund (http://www.mississippirecovery.com/) or a similar fund in Louisiana administered by Foundations for Recovery, The Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Recovery Fund (http://www.foundationsforrecovery.org/).

CONTACT: General Media Inquiries: Taylor Gross, M: +1-202-468-0670, tgross@theheraldgroup.com; or Media Center and Onsite Inquiries: Barbara Lago, D: +1-662-915-7236, M: +1-662-816-8611, blago@olemiss.edu, both for Mississippi Rising

PRNewswire -- Sept. 28

Source: Mississippi Rising

Web site: http://www.mississippirecovery.com/ http://www.foundationsforrecovery.org/ http://www.olemiss.edu/cmap

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