RUSSEL SIMMON'S HIP HOP SUMMIT HONORS CIARA SNOOP DOUG E FRESH AND OTHERS

Russell Simmons, Dr. Benjamin Chavis and their Hip Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) will have it's 5th annual Action Awards celebration. Simmons states that HSAN is recognizing the outstanding corporate and artistic contributions of hip-hop icons, as well as their dedication and commitment to community service and empowerment at an exclusive fundraising dinner on February 25 in New York City. BET Executive Vice President of Entertainment and Music Programming, Stephen Hill, and Disturbing Tha Peace Records' CEO, Chaka Zulu will serve as the events co-chairs. This year's honorees are:

• Chris Lighty, CEO of Violator Management, sponsors annual community events and serves as a board member for the G-Unity Foundation, a 50 Cent project that provides grants to non-profit organizations that help out low-income neighborhoods.
• Jim Jones supports community programs in NYC schools;
• Doug E. Fresh has participated as the co-moderator with Chavis in many Hip-Hop Summit financial literacy Summits around the country;
• Snoop coaches the Snoop Youth Football League working with young inner city boys; and
• Ciara works with The VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to restore music education programs in schools; participates in HSAN financial literacy summits; and supports community programs in Atlanta
• Mellody Hobson, President of Capital Management, one of the largest African-American owned investment firms in the world who gives her time to the Ariel Education Initiative and ArielCommunityAcademy in the south side of Chicago where they teach financial literacy to students from pre-K to 8th grade.

This year's six Action Award recipients will join the ranks of previous honorees, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris and The Ludacris Foundation, Kanye West, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Nelly, Destiny's Child, Jermaine Dupri, Chrysler Financial, Debra L. Lee and BET, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Pepsi-Cola North America President Dawn Hudson, Tommy Hilfiger and MTV's "Choose or Lose" Campaign and Steve Stoute.