Wyclef and Miri Ben-Ari Helps Award Lisa Ellis

Ms. Ellis will receive the 2009 Phoenix Rising Award, to be presented by Phoenix House on March 30th, 2009. The annual Phoenix Rising Award Dinner will be held at The Plaza in New York to raise money for Phoenix House, one of the world's leading non-profit drug and alcohol addiction, prevention, and treatment organizations. Past recipients include Russell Simmons, hip-hop artist and business mogul, and Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC Universal.

"Lisa Ellis is one of the most influential women in the music industry, and she has become a staunch advocate of Phoenix House and our programs," says Howard P. Meitiner, Phoenix House President and CEO. "The arts, entertainment, and fashion industries are vitally important to encourage positive and responsible behavior among young people, and that is why we established this award."

Wyclef Jean adds, "Jerry 'Wonda' Duplessis and I are excited to be supporting our partner in Carnival House, the great Lisa Ellis. Phoenix House is an incredible organization helping people change their lives. Lisa, Jerry, and I were able to have one of our new artists, Niia, debut at a Phoenix House event in October. We look forward to Carnival House continuing to not only entertain, but support Phoenix House while doing so!"

Ms. Ellis helped develop the careers of Prince, Beyonce, The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, John Legend, Nas, Destiny's Child, Maxwell, Terrence Howard, and many others in her roles as Executive Vice President of Sony Music Label Group and President of Sony Urban Music. She and Wyclef Jean founded Carnival House to develop new music, publishing, and film projects. Ms. Ellis is also a Founding Operating Partner of Fireman Capital Partners.

Miri Ben-Ari, the Israeli-born, classically-trained "Hip-Hop Violinist" and Grammy Award-winning songwriter will perform at the dinner, along with a special acoustic performance by Wyclef Jean and a taped tribute from Shaquille O'Neal. Ms. Ben-Ari's collaborations with artists such as John Legend, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Wyclef Jean have helped sell millions of records.