VH1 Announces New Hurricane Katrina Outreach Initiative 'Get Up Stand Up' in Partnership With Mercy Corps

VH1 Announces New Hurricane Katrina Outreach Initiative 'Get Up Stand Up' in Partnership With Mercy Corps

This New Pro-Social Campaign Will Kick-Off at VH1's Taping of 'Hip Hop Honors' on Thursday, September 22 with Artists Donating Relief Items

VH1 Classic Joins Relief Efforts with Month Long On-Air Fundraising Event 'Pay For Play' to Aid Hurricane Victims in the Gulf Coast

NEW YORK, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- VH1 is launching a new public affairs umbrella initiative "Get Up Stand Up" in conjunction with Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian agency, to help carry out short term and long term Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The campaign will kick-off on Thursday, September 22 at VH1's 2nd Annual "Hip Hop Honors" taping in New York City.

Donations will be collected during the "Hip Hop Honors" red carpet on Thursday, September 22. Artists will be asked to drop off specified relief items at a trailer that will be stationed outside of the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. In support of its Comfort for Kids programs, Mercy Corps has requested that artists bring items including "Comfort Kits" for kids that include pens, notebooks, rulers etc., laptops, calculators for teachers, white boards and easels for teachers, power tools, i.e. hand saws, chainsaws, drills, and staple guns, athletic equipment, i.e. basketballs, footballs, portable basketball hoops, team uniforms, and high-quality rubber boots, as well as gift cards from stores including Home Depot.

Items will be taken to the Mercy Corps Gulf Coast command center in Baton Rouge, LA. From there the items will be distributed to specific disaster areas including Slidell, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge, LA, and Gulfport, Pass Christian, and Biloxi, MS.

VH1 CLASSIC ASKS VIEWERS TO "BUCK UP" TO AID HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS

Sister station VH1 Classic will also give support to hurricane Katrina victims. In October, VH1 Classic viewers will be able to "Pay for Play" where they can request and watch their favorite Classic music videos by making a $25.00 donation to Mercy Corps by logging onto http://www.mercycorps.org/.

"After airing our "ReAct Now: Music & Relief" concert and asking our viewers to give to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, we at VH1 then asked ourselves what more could we do to make a positive impact on people's situations right now," said Tom Calderone, General Manager, VH1. "We are so happy to partner with Mercy Corps because we can now do even more to help affected families to rebuild their lives."

"Katrina is an unprecedented disaster and it demands an unprecedented response," said Mercy Corps president Nancy Lindborg, who will be on the red carpet thanking artists who donate. "The VH1 family's generous support is coming at a critical time and we are pleased to work with them in getting Gulf Coast communities back on track."

VH1 is committed to providing pro-social initiatives using the reach and power of VH1 to create awareness and motivate action for current issues affecting society.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in over 87 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH Uno, VH1 Mega Hits and VH1 Country. Connect with VH1 at http://www.vh1.com/.

VH1 is a registered trademark of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom International Inc. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.

Launched in May 2000, VH1 Classic is a 24-hour network that presents music videos, concerts and music specials featuring classic rock, soul and pop artists from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Featured artists include The Beatles, The Stones, Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Stevie Wonder, The Police and many more.

Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1 billion in assistance to people in 81 nations. Currently, the organization's 2,100 staff worldwide reach 7 million people in more than 35 countries. Over 92 percent of the agency's resources are allocated to programs that help people in need. For more information, visit http://www.mercycorps.org/.

Contact: Maura Wozniak/VH1 212-846-7325

Jeremy Barnicle/Mercy Corps 503-367-7738

Source: VH1

CONTACT: Maura Wozniak of VH1, +1-212-846-7325; or Jeremy Barnicle of Mercy Corps, +1-503-367-7738

Web site: http://www.vh1.com/ http://www.mercycorps.org/

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