Russell Simmons’ Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation & Bounty
Team Up to Spread Holiday Cheer at the 10th Annual Youth Holiday Party
on Thursday, December 10, 2009

An annual holiday event to celebrate the creative energy of New York City youth!

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ — On Thursday, December 10(th), Russell, Danny, Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and family will come together to celebrate the holiday season with the Tenth Annual Youth Holiday Party at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. For the first time, Procter & Gamble’s Bounty brand will be joining the Simmons Family and Rush Philanthropic to sponsor the holiday event. MTV’s Sway will once again join in the celebration as Master of Ceremonies with Hot97’s DJ ENVY providing the tunes.

“Bounty
is pleased to take part in such a wonderful celebration honoring some
of New York City’s most talented and creative children,” said Eric
Higgs, brand manager for Bounty. “We recognize the importance of ‘hands
on’ art education and the role that learning by doing can play through
Rush Philanthropic opportunities outside the classroom.”

This
annual holiday event is held in celebration of the creative energy of
New York City youth and brings together over 400 underserved New York
City youths affiliated with the 50 youth arts organizations Rush
Philanthropic supports. The celebration allows young people to meet one
another and get some well-deserved recognition for their hard work.
Ranging from ages 6 to 18, the kids also get their chance to shine and
have the opportunity to showcase their talents through spoken word,
rap, dance and exhibiting artwork. Groups set to perform this year
include Ballet Hispanico, Brooklyn Steppers Marching Band, Impact Repertory Theatre, Multicultural Music Group and more.

“As
we all know to be true, the cultivation of creativity in our youth is
crucial to their growth. To withhold art education is to deprive them
of full development,” said Rush Philanthropic Co-Founder Russell
Simmons. “The Rush Philanthropic annual holiday event continues to
harvest the important seeds planted in the talented youth across New
York City while celebrating their creative expression. We’re happy that
Bounty recognizes the significance of the work we’re doing and has
proudly stepped in to sponsor this year’s event.”

Inspired by sheer “green” practicality, designer Kristin Barrett Brown will use event sponsor Bounty
as inspiration and transform the Fillmore into a Christmas themed
winter wonderland. This year’s Christmas tree will be made entirely out
of Bounty paper towel rolls, along with decorative ribbon used as trim
in festive colors of green and red. The festive color scheme will
continue throughout the Fillmore from floor to ceiling with glimmering
paper starbursts and other Bounty decorative accents.

The evening will include yummy foods, surprise celebrity guests and raffle prizes from companies like Nintendo, Kidrobot, XBox, House of Dereon, G-Shock, EA Sports, Trikke, Flight Club, Carol’s Daughter and many more. Each child will also leave with an exclusive Bounty gift bag filled with bountiful goodies.

About Bounty

Bounty
has been America’s most popular paper towel for over 30 years. In the
U.S., P&G offers the following premium two-ply paper towel
products: Bounty Select-a-Size; Bounty White; Bounty Extra Soft; and
Bounty Fun Prints. Additionally, P&G offers Bounty Basic, a quality
one-ply paper towel as well Bounty Quilted Napkins. For more
information on Bounty, visit www.quickerpickerupper.com.

About Procter & Gamble [PG]

Three
billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around
the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted,
quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®,
Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®,
Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®, Duracell®, Olay®,
Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The
P&G community includes approximately 135,000 employees working in
about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

ABOUT RUSH PHILANTHROPIC ARTS FOUNDATION

Rush
Philanthropic Arts Foundation is dedicated to providing underserved
urban youth with significant exposure and access to the arts, and to
offering exhibition opportunities for underrepresented artists and
artists of color. Rush was founded in 1995 by three brothers: Danny
Simmons, visual artist and community builder; media mogul Russell
Simmons; and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons of the legendary hip-hop group
Run-DMC. Their goal was to fill the gap that poor and minorities face
in both accessing the arts and exhibition opportunities. Over the past
14 years, Rush has developed a broad base of friends, collaborators and
supporters dedicated to addressing these issues. In addition to the
2,000 students served each year in its education programs, Rush
exhibits the work of 40 to 50 emerging and community-based artists in
its galleries; welcomes over 10,000 gallery visitors; distributes
grants to nonprofit arts organizations in NYC and South Florida; and
provides unique opportunities for young people interested in careers in
the arts. Rush currently operates galleries and arts education programs
in Chelsea (Manhattan) on West 26th Street and Clinton Hill (Brooklyn)
on Grand Avenue. Rush Education Programs are designed to inspire
students, provide positive alternatives to high-risk behaviors, and
support increased academic performance. Your support of ART FOR LIFE
East Hampton makes this programming possible.