[Courtesy of In Arms Reach] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (917) 939-5349; [email protected] Hip Hop Superstar Fat Joe, Former Giants Linebacker Carl Banks, NY State Supreme Court Justice Jerome Marks among those Honored at In Arms Reach Award Gala on Thursday, November 29 In Arms Reach, Founded by Rockefeller Drug Law Survivor Terrance Stevens, Provides Mentoring, After-school Activities, Builds Community and Esteem for Children with Incarcerated Parents Bronx Assemblyman Rueben Diaz Jr, Hip Hop Summit Action Network President Dr. Ben Chavis and R & B Vocalist Trey Songz to Join More than 100 Others at Inspiring Event NEW YORK – Hip hop superstar Fat Joe, former Giants linebacker Carl Banks, NY State Supreme Court Justice Jerome Marks, and Dean of City College of of New York’s Sophie School of Biomedical Education, Dr. Standform A. Roman Jr., are being honored at an award Gala supporting the New York non-profit organization, In Arms Reach. For five years, In Arms Reach (IAR) has successfully functioned as a non-profit, community-based organization for art, counseling, prison visitation and academic mentoring. IAR exclusively serves urban, New York children and youth of incarcerated or formerly incarcerated parents. The event will be held Thursday, November 29th, 2007, at The Great Hall of CUNY's City College, at West 138th Street and Convent Avenue. Capitol Music Group U.S. Chairman and CEO Jason Flom is an honorary chairman of the In Arms Reach Charity Gala. Terrence Stevens serves as the program's executive director, founding In Arms Reach in 2002, while confined to a wheelchair and virtually paralyzed from the neck down due to muscular dystrophy. Since its inception, IAR staff has provided over 3,450 hours of tutoring services, hundreds of after-school mentoring sessions, and dozens of free trips to prison facilities for children to reunite with their incarcerated parents. Terrence Stevens is a survivor of, and activist against, the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws. In addition to his work with hundreds of young people with loved ones behind bars, Mr. Stevens is a leading voice in New York and Albany to change the inhumane and ineffective laws. "Children of incarcerated people face some of life's harshest challenges, including poverty, violence, limited opportunities for a good education, and a future that seems to hold little promise. The incarceration of a parent often places children at an increased risk of substance abuse, truancy, and other anti-social behaviors," explains Stevens. There are at least 2.5 million children in the United States that are denied access to their parent(s) because they parent is in prison. Terror Squad/Imperial/Capitol Music Group hip-hop veteran FAT JOE is one of those being honored for his support of children who lost their parents to incarceration. Born Joseph Cartegena, the Bronx's own Fat Joe has earned five RIAA gold certifications and two platinum certifications in the last decade, including a platinum master ringtone certification in 2007 for the smash single and video "Make It Rain." Leading the Terror Squad, Fat Joe earned an additional two gold RIAA awards for the master ringtone and digital singles of the blockbusting No. 1 pop (three weeks) and R&B/Hip Hip-Hop (seven weeks) landmark, "Lean Back." Joe's crossover smash "What's Luv," which introduced Ashanti to the pop chart, was a seven-week No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fat Joe first charted in 1993 with his first solo single and video, "Flow Joe." "My community has been the foundation of everything I've ever accomplished in music and my business ventures," Fat Joe observes. "It's the role of hip-hop to give voice to the most overlooked, and it's the role of every responsible person to look into the community and be a positive force to as many as we possibly can. I'm proud to help bring awareness to this segment of youth, at a time when so many of our families in the minority community remain separated by the system." “Not only as an elected official in the Bronx, but as a personal friend of Joe’s, I believe that this recognition is long over due,” said New York State Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. “Joe is someone who has come from a tough neighborhood in the Bronx and has become a world renowned entertainer and yet he finds the time to come back to his neighborhood and give back through mentoring and through resources so they can one day aspire to reach the heights that he has.” Attendees will also be treated to a live performance by R & B Atlantic Records artist Trey Songz.