Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 17 March 2005 — Page 20

Page 20 • The Muncie Times • March 17, 2005

Grocery Chain Hope to Donate $60,000 to Black Groups

LOS ANGELES, Calif. 7 PRNewswire/—Compton (Calif.) - based supermarket chains Ralphs and Food 4 Less have carried out their first annual Black History Month celebration by recognizing the achievements of African Americans in the communities served by the two supermarket chains. In recognition of Black History Month, The Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation accepted donations from customers throughout February in more than 450 Ralphs, Food 4 Less (Southern California, Southern Nevada, Illinois and Indiana), Foods co, Bell Markets and Cala Food stores. All funds collected will be donated directly to African American organizations with a focus on education, culture and heritage.

Customers supported the Black History Month fund-raising program by donating their spare change in specially marked collection canisters located at the check stands in their neighborhood Ralphs, Food 4 Less, Foods Co or Cala /Bell supermarket. Organizations to benefit from the program include: X African American Firefighter Museum, Los Angeles. X Black Historical Society of San Diego. X California African American Museum, Los Angeles. • Chicago’s DuSable Museum of African American History. • Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Ninth & Tenth Cavalry Association (Buffalo Soldiers). • Friends of Watts Towers, Los Angeles.

• Jack & Jill of America, Far West Region (Pomona). • Las Vegas Inner City Games. • Tuskegee Airmen, Sacramento. • a Tuskegee Airmen, San Diego. "Ralphs and Food 4 Less are committed to being a good neighbor. As part of our commitment to the communities our stores serve, we think it is important to acknowledge the achievements of African Americans and support organizations that celebrate the cultural heritage of the African American community," said Dave Hirz, president of Ralphs. "Our Black History Month fund-rais-ing program offers our customers and associates the opportunity to support the outstanding accomplishments of the people and organizations that make our communities culturally rich."

The Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation was established in 1991 by Ralphs Grocery Company to fulfill the supermarket company’s commitment to giving back to the communities it serves. The Foundation has assisted hundreds of nonprofit organizations, schools and community groups with grants in excess of $20 million. Thousands of people have benefited as a result of this support. Ralphs and Food 4 Less believe in being good corporate citizens by contributing to the diverse communities they serve. Last year, Ralphs and Food 4 Less provided more than $5 million in cash and in-kind donations to organizations focuses on health, education, the fight against hunger, the advancement of women and minorities, and developing our youth.

News Briefs

The transformation of Jamie Foxx: from comedy clubs to Oscars club HOLLYWOOD - Former stand-up comic Jamie Foxx, who won the best actor Oscar for his sizzling role in "Ray," plunged into the dark world of blind soul legend Ray Charles and emerged as a Hollywood heavyweight. Foxx, who made his dramatic acting debut only six years ago, had been heavily favored to win for his portrayal of the American musician's rise from a tragic childhood to fame and fortune and a life of heroin addiction and womanizing. The 37-year-old actor had also been nominated for his supporting role in the Tom Cruise thriller "Collateral," but he lost out on the chance to become the first actor ever to win twin acting Oscars in a single year. An emotional Foxx was greeted by a standing ovation on receiving his best actor award,

as he sang a few notes in homage to Charles. "Give it up for Ray Charles and his beautiful legacy. Thank you for living," he said. Choking backing tears, Foxx thanked his late grandmother, who raised him. "She was my first acting teacher," he said. "She said, 'Act like you got some sense. Act like you been somewhere.' She still talks to me; only now she talks to me in my dreams," he said. "And I can't wait to go to sleep tonight, because we've got a lot to talk about." A classically trained pianist who has played since the age of three, Foxx jammed with Charles before the artist’s death in June at the age of 73, winning his blessing to portray him. The actor, who made a living seeking laughs in comedy clubs and on television before breaking into film, spent a year studying Charles's life and carefully mimicking every mannerism. In the film, Foxx also played Charles's famed music note for

note on the piano. He then lost 33 pounds, had his eyes glued shut for hours each day and donned uncomfortable prosthetic eyelids, to simulate the dark world the "Genius of Soul" had inhabited from the age of seven. After initial waves of panic, Foxx found that the blindness helped him enter Charles's universe. "The first two weeks, I panicked like anything. I felt claustrophobic all the time," he said. But after six hours of being blind, "you lose the sense of how a person is physically. It was amazing to hear the little buzzing voices all around you." The result was a breathtaking performance that electrified audiences and critics alike. Before his Oscar coronation, Foxx had captured best actor prizes at the Golden Globes, the U.S. Screen Actors Guild Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, or BAFTAs.

Bom Eric Morion Bishop on December 13, 1967 in Terrell, Texas, Foxx was encouraged by his grandmother to start playing piano early. Later, he joined the Boy Scouts and sang in a church choir before going on to study piano at New York's prestigious Juilliard School. He was also a jokester from a young age: His second-grade teacher would reward her class's good behavior with a joke-telling session from Foxx. In the late 1980s, the multitalented performer moved to Los Angeles to become a musician, but was quickly sidetracked by comedy. He became a fixture on the comedy club circuit and landed a job in the comedy sketch show "In Living Color" in the 1990s, before starring in his own television program, "The Jamie Foxx Show." He won his first movie role in Robin Williams's 1992 film Toys," and went on to be cast in several comedies, appearing in the boxing spoof "The Great

White Hype" and starring in the slapstick dating comedy "Booty Call." A quarterback in high school, his first dramatic role was as a professional football player in Oliver Stone's 1999 drama "Any Given Sunday," opposite A1 Pacino, for which Foxx also recorded a song. It was his turn in "Any Given Sunday" that inspired director Taylor Hackford to cast Foxx in "Ray." Foxx also played Muhammad Ali's cornerman, Drew "Bundini" Brown, in "Ali" (2001), which featured Will Smith as the boxing legend. But while Foxx gave up his musical career, he did not completely forsake music, and in 1994 he released the rhythm and blues album "Peep This." He has no regrets, however. "Hell, if I had stayed with music, I probably would have one hit - if that - and been broke and pissed off somewhere. Its funny how your plan changes," he said.