NEWS from PHILADELPHIA, PA

Thursday, OCTOBER 5th was a VERY busy day in the City of Brotherly Love.

The first part of the day's events was a large press conference in NORTH PHILLY. As outlined in the official press release (check this news section for the press release posted in its entirety) the purpose of the event was to announce several great initiatives:
1) The creation of THE PHILADELPHIA SOUL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. More details on that will be forthcoming from the Soul in the coming weeks/months but it is the continuation of the exceptional charity work the organization has been doing so far in Philadelphia and the immediate regions beyond.
2) The groundbreaking partnership between HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, PROJECT H.O.M.E., SATURN and the PHILADELPHIA SOUL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION to rebuild and renovate 15 row homes in North Philadelphia. The press conference was held on the street where these current shells of homes now stand.
3) The announcement by HABITAT FOR HUMANITY that JON BON JOVI will be their new AMBASSADOR worldwide for their efforts.

The emcee of the press conference was the incredible, indomitable Sister Mary Scullion of Project H.O.M.E. -- she introduced Jon Bon Jovi who spoke to the gathered media and VIPS. He then introduced President William Jefferson Clinton who spoke to the crowd. They were followed by Jill Lajdziak, Saturn General Manager, and Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity International's CEO.

The second part of the day was the THE POWER OF WE: THE 2006 Libery Medal At The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. This was a black-tie event where former U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush (41) and William Jefferson Clinton (42) were honored for their efforts with the Busk-Clinton Katrina Fund and the Bush-Clinton Tsunami partnership. The two former presidents transcended partisan and political differences and joined forces to raise more than $1 BILLION for disaster relief and recovery after the tsunami in South Asia in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The first part of the Liberty Medal event was an outdoor event broadcast on the local Philadelphia ABC affiliate. It includes performances (including Julie Roberts who sang "America, The Beautiful", speeches by Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street and Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, and the presentation/acceptance of the Liberty Medals by Bush and Clinton. The final element was a live performance by Jon Bon Jovi -- he performed an acoustic version of "Who Says You Can't Go Home", accompanied by Jeff Kazee (keyboards,) Bobby Bandiera (guitars) and Lorenza Ponce (violin.)

The second part of the Liberty Medal event was the sit-down dinner and program. Following introductions of all of the Honorable attendees and formal welcomes to all the guests, President Bush (41) spoke briefly to again thank those for attending, for presenting him with the Liberty Medal and commending the work the National Constitution Center has been doing. Then, Mayor Street and President Clinton took the stage. Mayor Street explained that they were doing something very special -- Jon Bon Jovi was behind honored with the City of Brotherly Love Award. After Mayor Street discussed Jon's exceptional work in Philadelphia, President Clinton went on to talk about the earlier event and announcement and the work Jon was doing with Habitat, Project H.O.M.E., Saturn and the Soul. With Governor Rendell joining them onstage, they asked Jon to come up and accept the award. A humble Jon proudly accepted the award and quoted Benjamin Franklin who said "Well done is better than well said" -- and honored all those famous and not joining him for their efforts. In conclusion, Governor Rendell noted that although Benjamin Franklin was born in Massachusetts, he is undoubtedly best know as Philadelphia's son. He said that while Jon Bon Jovi is absolutely a born and raised New Jersey man, he would make a great next Benjamin Franklin.

And then... it was a wrap. The evening winded down and everyone headed out into the Philadelphia night. Congratulations to Jon Bon Jovi on his City of Brotherly Love Award and Congratulations to Project H.O.M.E., Habitat For Humanity, The Philadelphia Soul Foundation and Saturn for their pioneering partnership.