Home Depot Center News

JetBlue Airways to Provide Roundtrip Travel for 10 to Four Out-of-State Schools

CARSON, CA (Thursday, June 3, 2010) - The Battle of the High School Marching Bands, presented by The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, named eight finalists who will compete on Saturday, Nov. 20 in the headline event, returning to Carson after a one-year hiatus. For the first time ever, value airline JetBlue Airways has signed on to provide roundtrip travel for 10 to each of four out-of-state high schools, which will travel from Georgia, Florida and Texas to Los Angeles to battle it out 'Southern Show Style' at The Home Depot Center in November.

\"We are proud to bring back the Battle of the High School Marching Bands to our community later this year, at a time when funding for important educational programs like the music and the arts is more critical than ever,\" said Tamala Lewis, director of The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and Community Affairs. \"We are grateful for the support of our sponsors, and especially to JetBlue, who made the 'comeback' of this entertaining and worthwhile event possible.\"

Joining the 2006 and 2008 champion Inglewood High School Marching Band from Inglewood, Calif. will be three other high schools from the Los Angeles area; Compton High School (Compton, Calif.), Crenshaw High School (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Dominguez High School (Compton, Calif.), plus four schools from out of state; Lithonia High School (Lithonia, Georgia), James S. Rickards High School (Tallahassee, Florida), Stephen F. Austin High School (Houston, Texas) and Clifton J. Ozen Magnet High School (Beaumont, Texas), who placed second in 2008.

Event sponsor JetBlue is providing 10 roundtrip tickets on the award-winning carrier for each out-of-state school. The schools can use the tickets as a fundraiser or for travel to and from the event so they can enjoy the award-winning JetBlue Experience and even more choices, including all-leather seats, spacious legroom, unlimited free snacks, 36 channels of free, live television and radio at every seatback and most importantly, genuine, friendly service.

\"JetBlue is committed to supporting the people, places and events that matter most to the communities we serve,\" said Icema Gibbs, director of corporate social responsibility for JetBlue Airways. \"We are proud to be part of this important partnership with The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, encouraging and supporting the advancement of music education for our youth.\"

Radio sponsor 102.3 KJLH, owned by Stevie Wonder, is the exclusive radio partner for the show, and will broadcast live from the 2010 Battle of the High School Marching Bands on Sat., Nov. 20, when the eight finalists will battle it out \"Southern Show Style\" in the 27,000-seat soccer stadium at The Home Depot Center in front of thousands of fans, and a panel of collegiate band directors and VIP celebrity guests for the grand prize of $10,000 to purchase new instruments or uniforms.

The 2010 event marks the sixth Battle of the High School Marching Bands in seven years, which has attracted artists and students from all over the U.S. since 2005, plus several celebrity guests and performers, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Jr. (2005), Keke Palmer (2006), Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire and the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band (2007) and Solange (2008). Celebrities participating in this year's event will be announced this Fall.

More than 100 high school marching bands applied to compete in the 2010 Battle of the High School Marching Bands, which in 2008 raised more than $100,000 for The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

About The Home Depot Center

The Home Depot Center is southern California's home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150 million, privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG Facilities on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis and boxing stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 10,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome for track cycling. The Home Depot Center is home to two Major League Soccer teams, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association's (USTA) High Performance Training Center, the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and Athletes' Performance, an international training center for elite and professional athletes. For more information, please visit www.homedepotcenter.com.

Contact:

Alison Groendal Salcedo,
The Home Depot Center Communications
(310) 630-2032