STAPLES Center Named as Top Five Finalist in Los Angeles for 2nd Annual Classy Awards Recognizing Philanthropic Businesses

StayClassy and NBC Affiliates Offer More Than $100,000 to CLASSY Award Winners

Los Angeles, CA. October 15, 2010 - StayClassy, the leader in social fundraising for Nonprofits, has announced that STAPLES Center, through the work of STAPLES Center Foundation, has been named as one of the Top 5 CLASSY Awards Finalists for Most Philanthropic Business in Los Angeles.

Locally referred to as the Academy Awards® of Philanthropy, the 2nd Annual CLASSY Awards recognizes the top philanthropic achievements in eight (8) cities across the country: Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. From October 9 until October 22, Los Angeles residents can visit classyawards.stayclassy.org and vote for STAPLES Center to be named a City Winner for Most Philanthropic Business in Los Angeles.

"STAPLES Center and AEG are incredibly honored to be nominated is such a prestigious category along with four other well respected organizations here in Los Angeles," said Lee Zeidman, STAPLES Center General Manager. "It has been our goal and mission to take a leading role in the revitalization of downtown Los Angeles while improving the quality of life of those who live here. With that said, giving back to the community is our number one priority, and the people that help run the STAPLES Center Foundation do a tremendous job in their support of local organizations and Foundations, community outreach and encouraging our employees as well as our vendors, neighbors and fans to join us in giving back and making an impact in Los Angeles."

Each City Winner will represent their hometown and compete in the National voting round from October 23 - November 5 for a chance to win a prestigious CLASSY Award. National Winners will be recognized at the Hollywood-esque CLASSY Awards ceremony in San Diego.

A Charitable Event to Remember

The 2nd Annual CLASSY Awards competition will culminate at a red-carpet awards ceremony on Sunday, November 7 in Downtown San Diego. It will feature a host of celebrity presenters, chart-topping music talent, nonprofit and technology leaders, and hundreds (if not thousands) of CLASSY Awards supporters. More than $100,000 will be donated to support the charitable efforts of the ten (10) National CLASSY Awards Winners.

CLASSY Awards partners include: NBC Bay Area, NBC Chicago, NBC Los Angeles, NBC New York, NBC San Diego, NBC Washington, Guidestar.org, Legalzoom, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network - San Diego & New York chapters, Volunteer SD, and L.A. Works.

For additional information on the competition, event details, and to cast your votes, please visit classyawards.stayclassy.org or email awards@stayclassy.org.

About STAPLES Center Foundation
STAPLES Center Foundation has established a number of partnerships in the Los Angeles community to assist charities in raising funds and awareness for their organizations with a special emphasis on the low-income neighborhoods surrounding the arena. The Foundation has donated an excess of $10 million in financial and in-kind support to many community-based organizations, helping to reach those in need.

About StayClassy.org
StayClassy is a San Diego-based company that provides a revolutionary new Social Fundraising platform offering powerful fundraising and communications tools to nonprofits completely free of charge. StayClassy helps nonprofits leverage the power of social media to raise more money faster, and grow their donor base among an active, engaged community of people dedicated to giving back. The CLASSY Awards is just one way StayClassy supports the philanthropic community.

More Links
www.stayclassy.org
www.stayclassy.org/press

Contact
Cara Vanderhook
Sr. Manager, STAPLES Center Communications
213-742-7273
cvanderhook@staplescenter.com