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NEW YORK—Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons and the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation today announced the second annual ART FOR LIFE Palm Beach gala on Saturday, April 8 at Donald J. Trump’s exclusive Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, FL. Academy Award-winning actor and recording artist JAMIE FOXX, ANTONIO “LA” REID, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group, and Grammy-nominated songwriter DENISE RICH will be honored for their philanthropic efforts to promote youth arts at the star-studded dinner and auction. The event benefits the foundation’s continuing efforts to provide access to the arts to disadvantaged youth in NYC and Palm Beach County. Donald and Melania Trump are the honorary chairpersons of the gala.

“We are excited to honor three individuals who have done so much to support the creativity of so many,” said Russell Simmons, Chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, and co-founder of the charitable organization. “Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation plans to make ART FOR LIFE 2006 an unforgettable night like no other benefit in Palm Beach. We look forward to continuing to expand our circle of friends who support our efforts to help young people grow and experience the arts.”

The event platinum sponsor for the second year is Motorola, and the silver sponsor is Anheuser-Busch Inc. JetBlue Airways is providing travel for the event.

Event co-chairs are international tennis champions Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Rush Philanthropic board member Shamin Abas of Shamin Abas Public Relations. Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning and wife Tracy are on the Benefit Committee.

Rush Philanthropic garnered widespread support from the Palm Beach community during its inaugural event last year. The Art For Life Host Committee consists of Annie Falk, Dayssi and Paul Kanavos, Linnette and Robert Miller, Emilia Fanjul Pfeifler, Andrea Stark, Dana Hammond Stubgen, Annette Tapert, and Lauri K. Welteroth.

Bruce Sutka and David Negri of Sutka Productions International, in collaboration with Rush Philanthropic, are designing and producing the gala to be held in the Mar-A-Lago Club ballroom. With Rush Philanthropic, Sutka Productions has designed and produced the last three Art for Life events, including last year's inaugural event at Mar-a-Lago and two summertime galas at the East Hampton home of Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons. All three events sold out.

In July 2005, Rush Philanthropic celebrated ART FOR LIFE’s Sixth Anniversary. The annual benefit dinner and auction garden party for 850 guests is one of the most anticipated events of the Hamptons summer season. ART FOR LIFE East Hampton 2004 and 2005 and last year’s inaugural ART FOR LIFE Palm Beach combined netted more than $2.2 million to support more than 70 youth arts organizations in New York City and Palm Beach County.

ART FOR LIFE Palm Beach tables start at $10,000, and individual tickets are $1,000 each. Each ticket includes admission to the 6:30 p.m.cocktail reception and silent auction, and the dinner and live auction at 7:30 p.m.

To become a Sponsor of ART FOR LIFE Palm Beach 2006, or to purchase tables or tickets, please email ArtForLife@rushphilanthropic.org or contact:

Tangie Murray, Director of Marketing & Sponsorship, Telephone: 212-997-3034 Jordann Miller or Michelle Miller, Junior Event Chairs, Telephone: 561-804-9553

ABOUT RUSH PHILANTHROPIC ARTS FOUNDATION

Founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph Simmons, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation is dedicated to providing disadvantaged urban youth with significant exposure and access to the arts, as well as providing exhibition opportunities to under-represented artists and artists of color. While its primary emphasis is the arts, Rush Philanthropic is committed to the general well being of young people by considering a wide range of concerns. A 501(C)3 organization, Rush Philanthropic fulfills its mission through three core programs: grants, exhibitions and mentoring. The Rush Community Grants Program annually provides direct funding to over 70 nonprofit organizations that offer education programming in all disciplines of the arts to New York City youth. Rush also runs two arts exhibition and education facilities: Rush Arts Gallery and Resource Center in Manhattan’s Chelsea arts district and the Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood. Further, our Rush Kids Visual Arts Mentorship Programs and the Rush Impact Mentorship Initiative offer youth personal testimony to the transformative power of creative expression. Through the Rush Impact Mentorship Initiative, the foundation’s leadership reaches out to urban youth and takes them behind the scenes at Rush Communications’ headquarters for in-depth Q&A sessions with Russell Simmons and executives in music, fashion, and creative-related professions. While the majority of funds raised through ART FOR LIFE PALM BEACH will be used to address the vast ongoing needs of the at-risk youth Rush currently serves, twenty-five percent of the event’s net proceeds will benefit programs that serve disadvantaged youth in Palm Beach County, including the following programs:

Armory Art Center

The Armory Art Center is a not-for-profit community based visual arts education and exhibition center providing opportunities for individual growth, self-expression, increased awareness and appreciation of the arts through participation in studio, exhibition, lecture, and other education programs. The center seeks to educate, enrich, and engage a diverse population of youth through the “experience of art.” The morning after Art for Life, the Armory Art Center will collaborate with Rush Philanthropic on Arts Day for Palm Beach County youth.

Bak Middle School of the Arts

The Bak Middle School of the Arts strives to ensure world-class standards of excellence in art education and academics while promoting and expanding diversity within its classrooms. Bak Middle School of the Arts is the only public arts middle school in Palm Beach County, serving 1,350 talented students in the 6th through 8th grades, many of whom commute up to 3 hours per day by Tri-Rail. Bak Middle School of the Arts was established in 1997 and offers concentrations in Communications, Dance, Strings, Keyboard, Band, Theater, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music. Bak students scored highest on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in Palm Beach County, are ranked in the top ten in the state and consistently compete in both arts and academic competitions – and win - against middle schools, high schools and colleges in the U.S. and internationally.

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