“No One Has All the Answers but Together WE Can Solve the Problem.”
90-04 161 Street, Suite 201 • Jamaica, New York 11432 • 718.978.3942 • lifecampinc@aol.com
Celebrity Rappers & Friends Kick Off LIFE Camp Inc.’s Real Men Read Literacy/ GED Program for Youth
Event Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Time: 8:00 am and 12:00 noon (details below)
Place: Count Basie Junior HS and Door Restaurant (details below)
What: A collaborative literacy and GED program kick-off
WHO (Attending Sponsors):
Rapper and Co-Founder of LIFE Camp, Ja Rule; Erica Ford (President, LIFE Camp); Gary Clifton (President/Founder, RISE); former BET News Anchor Jacque Reid; Shakim Comprere (manager for Queen Latifah and Terrance Howard); rapper Cheryl “Salt” James (of Salt-N-Pepa); rapper Q Tip; Big ‘BJ’ John (VP of A&R, Inc. Records); NY Knicks Read to Achieve Program; and representatives from Queens Public Library, St. Mathews AME Church of Hollis, St. Albans Congregational Church of Christ, and South East Queens Neighborhood Network. Representatives from Springfield Gardens, Excelsior School, and John Adams High Schools will attend as well. Non-attending celebrity supporters include: Nas, Hype Williams, Ed Lover, Un Rivera, and Michael Strahan of the NY Giants.
PURPOSE
To raise awareness and support for the newly established LIFE Camp Learning Village (LCLV), a joint literacy and GED program designed to bolster support for local educational initiatives in Queens, NY. LCLV will feature the Real Men Read – a RISE program. Currently, Real Men services young boys, but at LCLV, it will service young adults (ages 17 – 24 years). The following existing sites will host LCLV: St. Mathews AME Church of Hollis; St. Albans Congregational Church of Christ; Springfield High School; York College; and the South Hollis, South Jamaica, and Laurelton branches of the Queens Public Library. In addition, LCLV will feature LIFE Camp’s successful film and music vocational program for youth. Jacque Reid, Hype Williams, and other celebrities are volunteer workshop leaders.
CHEDULE
8:00 am Campaign Kick Off / Real Men Read Session
Count Basie Junior High School (IS 72)
133-25 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. (Jamaica, NY)
12:00 noon Press Conference
Door Restaurant (163-07 Baisley Blvd., Jamaica, NY)
Lunch available to confirmed members of the press
MORE INFO
Contact Erica Ford to volunteer for the LIFE Camp Learning Village. Please call 718.978.3942 or email lifecampinc@aol.com. Contact Gary Clifton of RISE at 212.747.1077 or info@nycrise.com. Please direct media inquires to AKILA WORKSONGS Public Relations at 718.756.8501 or pr@akilaworksongs.com
About LIFE Camp Inc.
“Love Ignites Freedom and Education” is the acronym for LIFE. It is the concept that drives the mission of the non-profit organization.
The mission of LIFE Camp Inc. is to improve academic and social behaviors of at-risk youth. Specifically, to decrease youth violence by creating programming that focuses on conflict resolution, self-esteem, goal setting, critical thinking, and leadership. LIFE Camp empowers and motivates youth to become responsible and productive students while avoiding the pitfalls that leads to incarceration. The non-profit organization exists to foster relationships between youth and family members that help strengthen community.
LIFE was born out of the Code Foundation (Queens Chapter), in 1994, by community activist Erica Ford and rapper TuPac Shakur. The non-profit organization was co-founded by rapper Jeffrey “Ja Rule” Atkins and Ronald Robinson.
About RISE (from the official website)
“Recreational Inner-City Sports and Education (R.I.S.E.) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) (3) community-based organization. RISE has served the southeastern section of Jamaica, New York for nearly twenty-five years. We believe in order to combat drugs, educational problems, and crime, it is necessary to provide quality alternatives for the youth in our community. With the combination of athletics, cultural enrichment, HIV, pregnancy, drug and violence prevention and intervention services, we have demonstrated effectiveness in the molding and shaping our youth.”
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