Latin Singer Juanes Announced as Honoree for 8th Annual FedEx/St. Jude Angels & Stars Gala

MIAMI, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The 8th annual FedEx/St. Jude Angels & Stars Gala will be honoring Latin Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Juanes with the 2010 "Al-Rashid Hope Award" for his international humanitarian efforts to help bring awareness to children's causes and world peace.  This year's gala will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the InterContinental Miami Hotel and will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, one of the world's premier pediatric cancer research centers. This year, the event will be hosted by popular Spanish television host Lili Estefan and national radio personality Javier Romero.  Guests will also enjoy an unforgettable star-studded evening, as well as live performances by LATIN GRAMMY Award winning singer, Luis Enrique and Noel Schajris, former member of the Latin group Sin Bandera.

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"As a father, I can't help but feel deeply touched by the children who are at St. Jude at this moment.  The mission of this hospital is truly unique and the magnitude of hope that it brings to thousands of families is unimaginable," said Colombian singer Juanes. "I have always admired the work that St. Jude accomplishes by helping sick children not just in the United States but other parts of the world."    

With multi-platinum worldwide sales of over 12 million albums, a GRAMMY and a record-setting seventeen LATIN GRAMMY awards, Juanes was recognized by Billboard as the single most important figure of the past decade.  However, his impact on the world goes far beyond his artistic career. Juanes has also been recognized for his humanitarian efforts in Latin America and around the world. He was honored at the annual benefit gala for Sir Paul McCartney's Adopt-A-Minefield for his work as a Goodwill Ambassador for 'United for Colombia", a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the impact of land mines. Juanes has also received the "Knight in the order of Arts and Letters" Award, the highest cultural honor given by France.  

Model and television personality Daisy Fuentes will serve as hostess for the gala welcoming Latin celebrities from the television and music industries who will rub elbows with more than 500 guests. The evening's theme "Masquerade" will include an elegant dinner, cocktails courtesy of GREY GOOSE Vodka, and a silent and live auction.

Last year's FedEx/St. Jude gala honored Tommy and Thalia Mottola and raised funds in support of the groundbreaking research and lifesaving care provided by St. Jude for children from across the country and around the world. Events like this help to support life-saving initiatives such as the St. Jude International Outreach Program, which has dramatically increased the survival rates for children with cancer around the world over the past three decades. This program has partnered with clinics in more than 15 countries including Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Honduras, Chile and Brazil.

"It is an honor for FedEx to help bring awareness to the lifesaving work of St. Jude through the FedEx/St. Jude Gala. St. Jude is a beacon of hope for so many families who are facing the terrible news of having their child diagnosed with cancer.  It is also an honor for us to present Juanes with this distinguished award for his humanitarian efforts all over the world," said Julio C. Barrionuevo, Vice President of Finance, Planning and Engineering for Federal Express, Latin America & Caribbean and Chair of the 2010 FedEx/St. Jude Gala.  FedEx has been the title sponsor of the Angel & Stars Gala since its inception in 2002.

"I am elated to see how the FedEx/St. Jude gala has grown over the years and how the Hispanic community in Miami and around the country has embraced the mission of St. Jude so dearly," said Daisy Fuentes. "The children at St. Jude face incredible challenges everyday as they fight cancer, but thanks to great events like this, St. Jude is able to provide them the best care possible."

Juanes joins other top Latin artists and entertainers who have supported the life-saving mission of St. Jude including Chayanne, Chenoa, Beto Cuevas, Cristian Castro, Luis Enrique, Luis Fonsi, Jose Feliciano, Emilio & Gloria Estefan, Jeremias, Jose Jose, Fanny Lu, Jorge Moreno, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Kenny Ortega, Zoe Saldana, Thalia, the stars of the movie High School Musical, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, Eduardo Verastegui, and the late Soraya.

Gala sponsors include: FedEx Express, Pollo Campero, The Gutierrez Family,VISA, Carnival, International Dermatology, Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, Tony & Sandy Tamer, The "M" Point, AT&T, Stephan James Associates, Univision Radio, Ketchum, Byblos Group, DDB,  MillerCoors, Inktel Direct, Leon Medical Centers, Westin Hotels, and cocktails courtesy of GREY GOOSE Vodka.

To purchase tickets, information on sponsorship opportunities or to donate items for the silent auction, please call 1-800-278-3383, email [email protected] or visit www.stjude.org/miamigala.

**Note to members of the Media regarding media coverage of event on May 15th:

Press Conference: Reporters, videographers and photographers are invited to participate in a press conference with Juanes and Daisy Fuentes. The press conference will start at 5:15 PM.

Red Carpet:  Reporters, videographers and photographers will have access to red carpet starting at 6:00 PM.

FedEx/St. Jude Gala: Due to limited space, this year videographers and photographers will not have access inside the event where the award presentation and performances are taking place. A St. Jude videographer and photographer will be taking video and photos of these events during the gala.  Once the gala has finished, these materials will be available at a designated FTP site for downloading by media as needed.

You can register for the red carpet and press conference by emailing [email protected] or by calling (305)260-4495.

Reporters interested in receiving video footage of the event on a beta tape can contact [email protected] or by calling (305)260-4495.  These tapes will be sent via FedEx the next day.

About St. Jude

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family's inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. In 2010, St. Jude was ranked the most trusted charity in the nation in a public survey conducted by Harris Interactive, a highly respected international polling and research firm. For more information, go to www.stjude.org.

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital