Oscar Night® America to Benefit Charities Nationwide

Oscar Night® America to Benefit
Charities Nationwide

Beverly Hills, CA — On Sunday, February 22, charities in 53 cities will host official Oscar® telecast viewing parties during the 81st Academy Awards® ceremony as part of Oscar Night America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ grassroots outreach program.

The Academy sanctions charities across the country to host celebratory viewing parties on Oscar Night, with proceeds directly benefiting the charities. All parties will feature the live broadcast of the Awards presentation; many will integrate Hollywood style party elements, including red-carpet arrivals, local celebrities, “paparazzi” photographers, predict-the-winner contests and live entertainment.

The 2009 Oscar Night America charities and cities are (alphabetical by city):

* The Center for Family Resources, Atlanta, GA
* LifeWorks, Austin, TX
* AIDS Interfaith Residential Services, Baltimore, MD
* The Ellie Fund, Boston, MA
* Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
* Charlotte Symphony, Charlotte, NC
* Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute, Chicago, IL
* People Working Cooperatively, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
* Red River Theatres and Cross the Bridge, Concord, NH
* USA Film Festival, Dallas, TX
* Denver Film Society, Denver, CO
* Southgate Community Players, Detroit, MI
* Waterfront Film Festival, Grand Rapids, MI
* Community Theatre of Greensboro, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC
* Junior League of Greenville, Greenville, SC
* Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition, Hartford, CT
* Hawaii International Film Festival, Honolulu, HI
* Ronald McDonald House, Houston, TX
* United Way of Central Indiana, Indianapolis, IN
* Variety of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
* Arthritis Foundation, Southern Nevada Branch, Las Vegas, NV
* The Campus Theatre, Ltd., Lewisburg, PA
* Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc., Little Rock, AR
* Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
* Family and Children’s Place, Louisville, KY
* Ronald McDonald House, Memphis, TN
* Miami Beach Cinematheque, Home of the Miami Beach Film Society, Miami, FL
* COA Youth & Family Centers, Milwaukee, WI
* Minnesota AIDS Project, Minneapolis, MN
* Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, TN
* American Red Cross, Southeast Louisiana Chapter,
* New Orleans, LA
* Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Norfolk, VA
* Alzheimer’s Association, Midlands Chapter, Omaha, NE
* Variety of Orlando, Orlando, FL
* Palm Beach International Film Festival, Palm Beach, FL
* Palm Springs Women in Film & Television, Palm Springs, CA
* Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, PA
* Arthritis Foundation Greater Southwest Chapter,
* Phoenix, AZ
* Film Action Oregon, Portland, OR
* American Diabetes Association, Providence, RI
* Theatre In The Park, Raleigh, NC
* Central Virginia Film Institute, Richmond, VA
* Capital City AIDS Fund, Sacramento, CA
* Cinema St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
* Utah AIDS Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT
* Special Olympics Texas, San Antonio, TX
* San Diego Film Foundation, San Diego, CA
* California Film Institute, San Francisco, CA
* Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation, Seattle, WA
* Isabel’s House, Springfield, MO
* Tampa Theatre, Tampa, FL
* Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, Tucson, AZ
* American Red Cross of the National Capital Area, Washington, D.C.

Since its inception in 1994, the program has generated nearly $24 million in funding for a wide spectrum of charitable organizations – every cent staying within the community where it was raised.

Last year 51 charities hosted viewing parties for nearly 16,000 guests nationwide, raising over $3.3 million.

To set these parties apart from the thousands of other events taking place on Oscar Night, each ONA party receives copies of the commemorative poster, official Academy Awards ceremony programs for guests, and other support materials.

A complete list of contact, venue and ticket information for each local ONA party can be found at www.oscar.com.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be television live in more than 200 countries worldwide.