On May 1, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah and ELLE magazine’s VP, Editor-in-Chief/Brand Content, Robbie Myers, will host FFAWN's second annual Mary J. Blige Honors Concert. They’ll join close celebrity friends and trailblazers in the entertainment industry, and all will pay tribute to young girls with big dreams of becoming the leaders of tomorrow.
The evening will be held in honor of the 2011 FFAWN scholarship recipients, and proceeds will directly benefit FFAWN’s scholarship fund, which ensures that educational opportunities are made available to young women so that they can get the training needed to be successful. In 2010, FFAWN sent 25 young women to college with full four-year scholarships. All 25 remain enrolled and have maintained GPA scholarship requirements of 3.0; eight of the students made the dean’s list their first semester.
Nine-time Grammy Award–winning artist Blige, who will perform, and FFAWN co-founder Steve Stoute will celebrate the dedication of these special young women and continue to inspire them to achieve greatness. Joining them is a star-studded cast of leading ladies and role models, including Christina Aguilera, Anita Baker, Jennifer Hudson, Corinne Bailey Rae and Jill Scott, among others performing that night.
Patrice Rushen, a pioneer for women as a composer and musical director over the course of her career, will conduct the concert. Rushen was the first woman to serve as musical director for the Grammy Awards telecast (she headed up the musical portion for three consecutive years, at the 46th, 47th and 48th Grammy Awards) and the first woman to lead the music behind the NAACP Image Awards.
Continuing its ongoing support of FFAWN, Gucci is a presenting sponsor for the night’s festivities, where Creative Director Frida Giannini will join Blige to introduce one of the evening’s performances.
The benefit will be held at the legendary Hammerstein Ballroom, which will be transformed and illuminated by the artistic vision of the Urban Zen Foundation, also one of the evening’s presenting sponsors.
The Foundation For the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN) aims to help all women gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their full individual potential.
Find out more about the event here.
