New York, NY May 2, 2011 – Robin Hood, The Black Eyed Peas, Chase, DAS Communications, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, the Central Park Conservancy and Clear Channel Radio announced today that the six-time Grammy-award winning group will perform their first-ever live concert in Central Park on June 9, 2011. The concert will benefit Robin Hood and its mission to fight poverty in New York City, as well as fund the creation of three new sites for The Black Eyed Peas’ Peapod Academies in New York City. All concertgoers must have a ticket to enter the event. Chase, the largest private-sector employer in New York City, is the presenting sponsor. Clear Channel is the event’s exclusive radio partner. The Black Eyed Peas and Robin Hood announced the concert this morning in an exclusive interview on “” on Z100.

This is a ticketed event – all concertgoers must have a ticket to enter and backpacks and other carry alongs are not permitted. 54,000 free tickets will be available only through random giveaway by registering at blackeyedpeas.robinhood.org beginning on May 11. A small number of VIP tickets will be available for sale through the same website. Tickets are limited to ensure the safety of all fans attending the event.

“We are thrilled to follow in the footsteps of icons such as Simon & Garfunkel and Diana Ross by performing a free concert for our fans in Central Park,” said Fergie. “But more importantly, we are performing to benefit Robin Hood’s efforts to help those living in poverty in New York City and to help disadvantaged youth in New York with the launch of our Peapod Academy.”

The concert will raise funds and awareness for Robin Hood, a public charity targeting poverty in New York City by funding and partnering with the best and most effective programs. Robin Hood’s grants and guidance support food pantries, homeless shelters, health clinics and provide work-force training for impoverished New Yorkers in the five boroughs. As part of the partnership with The Black Eyed Peas, Robin Hood will fund the opening of three Peapod Academies in New York City over the coming years, which will support disadvantaged youth in New York City by providing music and artistic education, such as music engineering and mixing and video editing, among other opportunities.

 

“Robin Hood is humbled by the commitment of The Black Eyed Peas and Chase to help the 1.8 million people in New York City that fall below the poverty line,” said David Saltzman, Executive Director of Robin Hood. “As six-time Grammy Award winners and 30+ million album sellers, The Peas are superstars in the global music industry and Central Park provides the perfect stage for them to help us raise awareness and funds for our neighbors in need.”

“Live music has a rich tradition in Central Park and we are pleased to add the Black Eyed Peas to a list that already includes Barbra Streisand, Elton John and Sting, among many others,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “This free concert on the historic Great Lawn celebrates the best of New York City and will help Robin Hood continue its work to fight poverty.”

As the exclusive radio partner, Clear Channel will promote the concert on-air through ticket giveaways and public service announcements across five of Clear Channel’s New York City Stations: Z100, 103.5 KTU, Q104.3, 106.7 Lite FM and Power 105.1, as well as iHeartRadio.com, the website for Clear Channel’s industry-leading digital radio service.

Throughout the concert, music lovers will be encouraged to donate to Robin Hood via text message. For more information on the concert, ticket availability and to donate, please visit www.robinhood.org.

The Concert 4 NYC is being produced by Robin Hood in association with William Derella and David Sonenberg of DAS Communications, Ltd., the management company for The Black Eyed Peas.

For more than 20 years, Robin Hood has fought poverty in New York City. We find, fund and partner with programs that have proven they are an effective remedy to poverty and are a consistent force for good in the lives of New Yorkers in need. We employ a rigorous system of metrics and third-party evaluation to ensure grantee accountability. The board pays all administrative and fundraising costs, so 100 percent of donations goes directly to helping New Yorkers in need build better lives. We work closely with our grantees to make them more effective, enabling them to assist even more people. In 2010, Robin Hood invested over $132 million in 200 programs and schools, directly touching the lives of over 650,000 New Yorkers.

Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.2 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. Chase serves consumers and small businesses throughout the United States.

 

 

JPMorgan Chase’s global headquarters is in New York City, where it is the city’s largest private-sector employer with 25,000 people. In 2010, JPMorgan Chase and its Foundation contributed approximately $26.5 million to nonprofit organizations in New York City, focusing on community development, education and arts & culture.

The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation is the steward of over 29,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. Parks operates more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 550 tennis courts, 66 public pools, 48 recreational facilities, 17 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches and cares for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. Parks looks after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. The Department of Parks & Recreation is the principal provider of recreational and athletic facilities and programs which are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals. For more information about Parks, visit www.nyc.gov/parks

As the official manager of Central Park, Central Park Conservancy is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the Park which includes all special events. Presently, 85 percent of Central Park's $37.4 million annual budget is raised by the Conservancy.

The Peapod Foundation supports innovative programs for young people, particularly orphaned, foster and impoverished children, and focuses on their universal needs including music/artistic education. Its first project was the Peapod Music and Arts Academy at the Watts/Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles. The Foundation is expanding the Black Eyed Peas Peapod Music & Arts Academies to other communities to provide innovative art and music educational programs to more disadvantaged kids nationwide. The next Academy will be in the San Francisco Bay area and some of the proceeds from the Central Park concert will fund a partnership between Peapod and Robin Hood to open three Peapod Academies in New York City.

Media Contacts:

Rubenstein Communications, Inc

Katie Schroeder, 212-843-8036

kschroeder@rubenstein.com

Rachael Risinger, 212-843-8046

rrisinger@rubenstein.com

Kara Carscaden, 212-843-8061

kcarscaden@rubenstein.com