Press Release

UNICEF presents first-ever Playlist with the A-List

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF will give celebrity supporters a reason to sing their hearts out with the first-ever Playlist with the A-List celebrity karaoke benefit event. The evening, hosted by actor and comedian Bill Bellamy, will raise funds and awareness for UNICEF’s "Schools for Africa" campaign. Special guests include Jack Black, Brooklyn Decker, Ne-Yo, Michelle Branch, Kyle MacLachlan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Angela Kinsey, James Denton, Jena Malone, Lori Loughlin, James Ingram and Ryan Bingham.

A night of celebrity Karaoke to benefit UNICEF's Child-Friendly Schools in Malawi hosted by Bill Bellamy with live performances by Rickey Minor and The Tonight Show Band

LOS ANGELES (MAY 17, 2011) — Tonight, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF will give celebrity supporters a reason to sing their hearts out with the first-ever Playlist with the A-List celebrity karaoke benefit event. Special guests, including Jack Black, Brooklyn Decker, Ne-Yo, Michelle Branch, Kyle MacLachlan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Angela Kinsey, James Denton, Jena Malone, Lori Loughlin, James Ingram and Ryan Bingham, will perform live with the electrifying Rickey Minor Band. The evening, hosted by actor and comedian Bill Bellamy, will raise funds and awareness for UNICEF's "Schools for Africa" campaign. 

"In Sub-Saharan Africa, one in three children never gets the chance to go to school because of poverty, lack of proper school structures and trained teachers, poor water and sanitation facilities, and cultural attitudes." said U.S. Fund for UNICEF President and CEO Caryl Stern. "Education is the right of every child and fundamental to a child's ability to thrive.  UNICEF is committed to ensuring a quality education for all children and to creating learning environments that are safe spaces for children to learn and grow."

In 2004, UNICEF and the Nelson Mandela Foundation launched "Schools for Africa," a campaign to promote education for all, with a special emphasis on girls, orphans, children living in extreme poverty and other vulnerable children. The initiative aims to increase access to basic quality education for millions of children in African countries including Malawi and Mozambique, and to create learning environments that are free of physical discomforts and discrimination, and full of competent teachers and inspiration.

Desiree Gruber and Christina Zilber are co-chairs of the Playlist with the A-List benefit event. Rickey Minor will serve as the evening’s Music Director.

The Playlist with the A-List Honorary Committee includes Bettina Adger, Catherine An, Elizabeth An,  Brian Barrow, Angelia Bibbs-Sanders, Maria Bravo, Jen Bresnan, Jane Buckingham, Tom Bugbee, Trisha Cardoso, Erin Feniger, Megan Ferguson, Mary John Frank, Marc Friedland, Maryl Georgi, Dayle Haddon, Sally Horchow, Kelly Fisher & Martin Katz, Téa Leoni, Monique Lhuillier, Shelley Litvak, Andrea Nevins, Lulu Powers, Joyce Rey, Jane Ross, Daniea Sanadiki, Meredith Shevory and Sheila Walker.

About UNICEF

UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. Working in more than 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.

UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to reduce child mortality worldwide. There has been substantial progress: the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from 13 million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008. But still, 22,000 children die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.