Usher Project Restart

With the help of corporate sponsors such as Hibernia Bank, Visa, Giovanni The Margarita King and SunTrust Bank and civil leaders like Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Usher has invited 5,000 Katrina and Rita evacuees who were relocated to Georgia to attend the concert for free. The evacuees have already been contacted in Atlanta and tickets have been distributed. The remaining tickets for the concert are still on sale via Ticketmaster. A limited number of corporate suites and VIP seats are also available. All proceeds will benefit the Project Restart objective, which is to help Katrina victims settle into permanent or semi-permanent homes.

In response to the natural disasters along the Gulf Coast, Usher's New Look Foundation (http://www.ushersnewlook.org) launched Project Restart, a series of high-profile outreach events designed by the Foundation to raise funds for Katrina and Rita relief. One of the first areas to benefit from Project Restart is Houston, TX, where Usher made a personal visit today, Friday, October 7th at 2 PM CST and joined Hibernia Bank and Freddie Mac to donate a 2,500-square-foot, three-bedroom house, to a displaced family seeking permanent residence in Houston.

Project Restart is also offering concert goers the opportunity to get "Hands On" to assist in the long term recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast states. As part of this partnership with national Atlanta-based nonprofit Hands On Network, Usher will issue a challenge for "people-raising" that asks fans to sign up online to be a Hands On Hero, volunteering time, leadership, and special skills to help with Project Restart. Usher's Camp New Look kids will be working with the Hands On Network to recruit and register the volunteers.

Armani Exchange has produced limited edition Usher Signature long sleeve t-shirts to be sold online prior, during and after the concert. $25 from the sale of this limited edition t-shirt will benefit Usher's New Look -- Project Restart. To order a shirt or to make a pledge, visit http://www.armaniexchange.com/usher.