For:
The Happiness Club
c/o Wright College
4300 North Narragansett Ave.
Chicago, IL 60634

Contact:
Maureen Schulman Public Relations
(773) 308-7019
(773) 908-6425 (cell)

THE HAPPINESS CLUB TEAMS UP WITH HIP-HOP POET KEVIN COVAL AND RAP ARTIST NALEDGE TO TEACH KIDS POSITIVE VALUES THROUGH MUSIC
Sunday, March 15th at the Park West Theatre in Chicago

The Happiness Club, a group of kids from all over the Chicago area who sing, dance, rap, and create original material for their sensational musical show designed to promote positive values and social change through the arts, is collaborating with well-known hip-hop recording artist Naledge-Kidz in the Hall, to create new material which they will perform together at The Happiness Club’s upcoming benefit performance on Sunday, March 15th at the Park West Theatre in Chicago. Together they will turn the tables on rap’s bad reputation by reinforcing The Happiness Club’s mission to inspire and enable young people to adopt a set of ethics, serve as role models in their communities, as well as take what they have learned from their Happiness Club performing arts education and utilize those skills to create productive futures. In addition, Kevin Coval, founder of “Louder than a Bomb,” the Chicago Teen Poetry Festival, will perform at the benefit with the new winners of the Poetry Slam.

The evening includes a Best of Chicago buffet featuring Lou Malnati’s Pizza, Vienna Hot Dogs, The Eli’s Cheesecake Company, Tasty Catering, Pepsi, Jamba Juice, Goose Island and Starbucks.

Lead by an exceptional artistic staff, The Happiness Club kids gather together each week to discuss issues that affect them in their daily lives. These “issues” are translated into lyrics, put to music, choreographed and rehearsed to create the group’s inspirational show. Some of this season’s new songs deal with positive self-image, helping the environment (specifically global warming) and drug abuse. Each song is written by kids for kids to help them make positive decisions and changes in their lives.

Diverse in age, race and socio-economic background, the Happiness Club kids sing out against drugs, gangs, violence and smoking and say “yes” to education, tolerance, high self-esteem, and helping the environment.

The Happiness Club spreads its positive messages through an aggressive performance schedule, television appearances, and the distribution of their CD. The Happiness Club regularly performs at inner city and suburban schools, boys and girls clubs, countless neighborhood festivals, Navy Pier, Taste of Chicago, Brookfield Zoo, the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Dance Chicago, to name a few.

For information on purchasing tickets (starting at $100) to the Happiness Club Benefit performance Sunday, March 15th beginning at 5:00 p.m., please call Mary Gale at 773-308-7019 or for information on booking The Happiness Club, please call

773-908-6425 or visit www.thehappinessclub-bookus.org to view a short video of the group.

THE HAPPINESS CLUB AND RECORDING RAP ARTISTS TEAM UP TO TEACH KIDS POSITIVE VALUES THROUGH MUSIC

The Happiness Club, a group of kids from all over the Chicago area who sing, dance, rap, and create original material for their sensational musical show designed to teach positive values through the arts, has teamed up with recording artists, Rhymefest, Naledge, and Richkiddz to turn the tables on rap’s bad reputation by collaborating on three new songs which debuted at their recent benefit performance at the Park West Theatre in Chicago.

Lead by an exceptional artistic staff, The Happiness Club kids gather together each week to discuss issues that affect them in their daily lives. These “issues” are translated into lyrics, put to music, choreographed and rehearsed to create the group’s inspirational show. The new songs deal with positive self-image, controlling your destiny and helping the environment (specifically global warming). Each song is written by kids for kids to help them make positive decisions and changes in their lives. Rap artists Richkiddz and The Happiness Club also performed the hit song “Popular” which addresses the pressures of being popular in school.

Diverse in age, race and socio-economic background, the Happiness Club kids sing out against< drugs, gangs, violence and smoking and say “yes” to education, racial harmony, high self-esteem, global humanity and helping the environment. The mission of the Happiness Club is simple: to inspire and enable young people to adopt a set of ethics, serve as role models in their communities, as well as take what they have learned from their Happiness Club performing arts education and utilize these skills to help them create productive futures.

The Happiness Club spreads its positive messages through an aggressive performance schedule, partnerships with After School Matters, the Chicago Public Schools, the City Colleges of Chicago, television appearances, and the distribution of their CD. The Happiness Club regularly performs at inner city and suburban schools, boys and girls clubs, countless neighborhood festivals, Navy Pier, Taste of Chicago, Brookfield Zoo, the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, the B-96 Summer Bash, the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Dance Chicago. The Happiness Club has also performed for President Bill and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mayor and Mrs. Richard M. Daley.

For information on booking The Happiness Club, please call 773-481-8264 or visit http://www.thehappinessclub-bookus.org to view a short video of the group.