Big Brothers Big Sisters Partners on Jamie Foxx Presents: Thunder Soul, A Tribute to Kashmere's Funk Powerhouse

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Brothers Big Sisters has teamed with Roadside Attractions, distributor of the new documentary, Thunder Soul, presented and executive produced by Jamie Foxx.  In a new public service announcement (PSA), Foxx promotes the film while asking the public to support Big Brothers Big Sisters' quality mentoring programs, which are proven to help children overcome adversity to beat the odds.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110613/PH17540LOGO )

Thunder Soul follows alumni of Houston's Kashmere High School Stage Band, who return home after 35 years to perform a tribute concert for their 92-year-old beloved bandleader, teacher and mentor, Conrad "Prof" Johnson.  Transforming the school's struggling jazz band into a world-class 1970s funk powerhouse, Prof served as an extraordinary role model to his students.

The film is an important reminder of how dedicated mentoring can change the lives of children who face adversity.  The band's success echoed throughout Kashmere High School, resulting in unparalleled student achievements that helped to uplift and unite the community.

In the new PSA, which will be distributed online via social media and by Big Brothers Big Sisters' nearly 370 local agencies, Foxx talks about the power of mentorship and how one man can make a difference.

"We've all had someone who changed our lives for the better, pointed us in the right direction and taught us lessons that lasted a lifetime," Foxx says in the PSA.  "You can have that same impact on the life of a young person by getting involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters."

Big Brothers Big Sisters partners with families, volunteers and communities to help young people facing adversity break negative cycles often associated with poverty, single-parent homes and parental incarceration.  The organization holds itself accountable for helping children achieve positive measurable outcomes, including educational success, higher aspirations and confidence, improved relationships and risky behavior avoidance. The mentoring network relies on funding to carefully make mentoring matches and provide ongoing support to mentors, mentees and their families, helping sustain the long-term, successful relationships unique to its programs.

Thunder Soul, which opens in New York, Atlanta, Cleveland and Houston on September 23 and additional select cities on October 7 and October 14, is a reminder of the significant impact of dedicated mentoring and the importance of organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Visit ThunderSoulMovie.com for more opening date information.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters' mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports them in one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The organization holds itself accountable for children in the program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as higher aspirations; greater confidence and better relationships; educational success; and avoidance of delinquency and other risky behaviors. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of about 370 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 250,000 children. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters