| |
Tom
Joyner’s
2009
Fantastic
Voyage™
Raises
More
than
$1mm
‘Ultimate
Party
with a
Purpose’
Features
Performances
by the
Legendary
Smokey
Robinson
and
All-Star
Old
School
Hip Hop
Artists
(Dallas,
TX –
June 8,
2008)
Nationally
syndicated
media
personality
Tom
Joyner
wrapped
up the
2009
Fantastic
Voyage™,
raising
more
than $1
million
to help
keep
students
in black
colleges,
and
providing
passengers
24/7,
sun-up
to
sundown
music,
comedy
and
seminars.
More
than 30
top-named
Old
School
and New
School
R&B
entertainers
performed
on the
ninth
annual
Fantastic
Voyage™,
benefiting
the Tom
Joyner
Foundation.
The
seven
day, six
night
cruise
on board
the
world’s
largest
cruise
liner,
the
Royal
Caribbean
International’s
‘Mariner
of the
Seas’™,
set sail
May 17th
– 24th
from
Hollywood,
California
Tom
Joyner
Morning
Crew
(Photo
by
Monica
A.
Morgan)
“We had
one of
the best
cruises
ever
thanks
to my
passengers
and
sponsors,”
said
Joyner,
whose
“Tom
Joyner
Morning
Show”
reaches
more
than
eight
million
listeners
every
week in
115
markets.
“Thanks
to the
passengers
and the
sponsors
who went
the
extra
mile to
party
with a
purpose
and help
keep
kids in
school.
”
Throughout
the
week,
passengers
crowded
into
customized
events
and
activities
hosted
by the
sponsors:
AT&T
(which
sponsored
an HBCU
presidents’
panel
and the
internet
café),
Budweiser
(sponsor
of
Studio
B, the
Sailaway
Party
and
Royal
Promenade
parties);
Ford
Motor
Co.
(sponsored
PlayDate
and the
Lotus
Lounge);
Royal
Caribbean
(sponsored
the main
stage);
The Home
Depot
(sponsor
of ‘The
Herc’
Golf
Tournament
and
kitchen
improvement
seminars);
Southwest
Airlines
(sponsored
the jazz
room and
business
networking
seminars);
and M&M
(sponsored
ice
cream
happy
hours
and a
karaoke
contest).
Charlie
Wilson
Band
(Photo
by
Monica
A.
Morgan)
Unlike
any
full-charter
cruise
in the
world,
Joyner
packed
the week
with
such
performers
as lit
up the
cruise
with
laughs.
Some of
the
top-named
performers
included
Michael
McDonald,
Kennth
“Babyface”
Edmonds,
After 7
featuring
Kevon
Edmonds,
Chuck
Brown
and Kem.
To rock
the late
night
parties
that
started
at 2 am
, some
of the
nation’s
top
deejays
also
participated,
including
Doug E.
Fresh,
Salt ‘n
Pepa,
Big
Daddy
Kane
(who got
engaged
on the
ship!),
Cut
Creator,
Biz
Markie,
Dee Wiz,
Lady of
Rage, MC
Lyte,
Spinderella,
Steve
‘Silk’
Hurley,
Grandmaster
Flash,
DJ Kool
and many
others.
The
outrageously
creative
Mardi
Gras
parade
featured
Joyner
dressed
as “Mr.
Clean”,
and his
wife and
fitness
guru
Donna
Richardson
Joyner,
as the
Morton
Salt
icon.
Guests
pushed
the edge
with
their
costumes,
including
the
“Swine
Floozies,”
who wore
pick
powder
puff
afros
and
provocative
t-ships
and an “Octomom,”
who
pasted
eight
baby
dolls to
her
stomach.
Additionally,
CNN’s
Soledad
O’Brien
moderated
a town
hall
meeting
that
served
as a
preview
of her
upcoming
series
“Black
in
America
Part
Two”.
She
conducted
two
panels –
one that
addressed
health
issues
and
another
that
addressed
education
- that
included
such
notables
as TV
One’s
President
& CEO
Johnathan
Rodgers,
R&B
great
and
prostrate
cancer
survivor
Charlie
Wilson
and
former
CBS
Early
Show
anchor
and
breast
cancer
survivor
Rene
Syler.
During
one of
the more
unique
performances,
Hypnobro
demonstrated
his
powers
of
hypnosis
sprinkled
in with
some
comedy.
As part
of an
effort
to
promote
the
works of
African-American
artists
and to
help
keep
students
in black
colleges,
Joyner’s
foundation
co-hosted
an art
auction
with
ParkWest,
including
the
works of
Synthia
Saint
James
and Ted
Ellis.
Joyner
wasted
not time
to
invite
this
year’s
passengers
to join
him for
next
year’s
cruise,
sailing
May 16–
24th
from
Miami,
FL.
Details
are
still
forthcoming
on the
port
stops
and
entertainment,
but to
reserve
a cabin,
call
972.980-SAIL(7245)
or go to
BlackAmericaWeb.com/fv2010
(http://blackamericaweb.com/fv2010).
About
the Tom
Joyner
Foundation:
Founded
in 1998,
the Tom
Joyner
Foundation
has
focused
on its
primary
mission
of
helping
to keep
students
enrolled
in
Historically
Black
Colleges
&
Universities
(HBCUs).
The
Foundation
has
raised
more
than $55
million
to help
keep
students
enrolled
in black
colleges
and has
assisted
more
than
14,000
students
and
worked
with
more
than 100
HBCUs.
Throughout
the
week,
the
Foundation
announces
scholarship
winners
on the
nationally
syndicated
radio
show
hosted
by its
founder,
Tom
Joyner.
Each
week,
separate
financial
awards
are
focused
on
students
who are
single
parents,
high
achievers,
and
“Brothers
on the
Move”,
black
male
students
at the
‘School
of the
Month’.
The
organization’s
largest
annual
fundraiser
is its
“Fantastic
Voyage”™,
which is
a
seven-day,
six-night
cruise
that
raises
more
than $1
million
a year.
|
