Six National Companies Sign on as Sponsors for the UNCF An Evening of Stars(R) Tribute to Smokey Robinson

Six National Companies Sign on as Sponsors for the UNCF An Evening of Stars(R) Tribute to Smokey Robinson

Annual Event Names First-Ever Presenting Sponsor

FAIRFAX, Va., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) announced today that Target is once again supporting UNCF's annual An Evening of Stars(R) (AEOS) television event in the new role of "Presenting Sponsor." As Presenting Sponsor, Target will provide scholarships to deserving students with unmet financial needs who have demonstrated a commitment to giving back to their communities through its newly established Target Community Leaders Scholarship program. This year's AEOS is a tribute honoring Smokey Robinson and his five-decade career as an acclaimed singer-songwriter. Support from Target, as well as from AEOS's national sponsors, enables UNCF to produce the star-studded concert special, which will air nationwide in January 2008.

UNCF also announced that American Airlines, Toyota, McDonald's and Wachovia will return as national sponsors of this year's AEOS Tribute to Smokey Robinson. American Airlines, a 24-year UNCF corporate supporter, is also the "official" airline of the annual concert event. UNCF welcomes back AT&T as a national sponsor, a role the company has played with the annual television special in the past.

"Target's Presenting Sponsorship of AEOS and the continued support of our national sponsors will make it possible for UNCF to tell a national audience of more than three million how important a role UNCF and its 39 member colleges play in helping more than 65,000 students each year get the college education they need and deserve," said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF president and CEO. "I know I speak for our colleges and students," Lomax added, "when I thank Target and our national sponsors for their support of UNCF and their commitment to the cause of minority higher education."

As the primary honoree of AEOS 2008, Robinson will receive UNCF's prestigious Award of Excellence. Previous honorees have been Aretha Franklin (2007), Stevie Wonder (2006), Quincy Jones (2005), and the late Lou Rawls (2004). The two-hour concert tribute will be taped at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. on Sept. 22, 2007. Tickets for the taping are now on sale through Ticketmaster.

Returning as executive producer and director of An Evening of Stars(R) is five-time Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz, whose credits include numerous years directing The Academy Awards, The Prime Time Emmy Awards, The Kennedy Center Honors, The People's Choice Awards, and The ALMA Awards presented by the National Council of La Raza. He has also directed The MTV Movie Awards as well as The American Film Institute (AFI) tributes to Robert DeNiro (2003), Meryl Streep (2004), George Lucas (2005), Sean Connery (2006), and Al Pacino (2007).

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 for the UNCF to supplement the cost of higher education for scholarship recipients and member institutions. This year's show, now in its 29th season, will have Target as the first-ever "Presenting Sponsor" for AEOS. Other corporate sponsors are American Airlines, McDonald's, Toyota, Wachovia, and AT&T. In recent years, AEOS has featured a Who's Who of recognizable talent, including Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Nancy Wilson, Beyonce, Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, Fantasia, Joss Stone, Patti LaBelle, 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. Learn more about AEOS at http://www.uncf.org/aeos.

About UNCF

As the nation's oldest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization, the United Negro College Fund's mission is to provide financial support to its 39 member institutions and increase minority degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 25 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship programs, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 65,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Learn more about UNCF at http://www.uncf.org/

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Source: United Negro College Fund

CONTACT: Communications @ UNCF, +1-703-205-3480, media@uncf.org

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

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Profile: International Entertainment