HOUSTON (Map) - HOUSTON, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi's(R) and JCPenney(R) are teaming up to raise funds and awareness for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation with a weeklong sales initiative kicking off in Houston. A special performance by Gavin DeGraw at 5 PM on Sunday, July 27th at Houston's Willowbrook Mall Atrium outside the JCPenney store will launch the program. The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in our public schools and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of every child's complete education. Levi's(R) and JCPenney have pledged to raise $100,000 in support of The Foundation's mission.

From Sunday, July 27th through Sunday, August 2nd, Levi's(R) will donate $5 from every customer who purchases two pairs of Levi's(R) jeans at participating JCPenney stores or at jcp.com to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation up to $100,000. In addition, customers will receive a $10 JCPenney gift card by mail redeemable at JCPenney locations nationwide.

Platinum recording artist and singer songwriter

Gavin DeGraw is currently on tour in support of his new album GAVIN DEGRAW. Spurred on by his pop hit single "In Love With A Girl," GAVIN DEGRAW premiered at #7 on the Billboard chart in May, marking Gavin's first Top 10 album. The video for Gavin's single, "In Love With A Girl," was directed by acclaimed director Wayne Isham and features "Laguna Beach" beauty Kristin Cavallari. The video debuted with an appearance from Gavin on MTV's "TRL" in April and is currently in large rotation on VH1. Gavin DeGraw was produced by the famed Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson who is known for his work with bands as varied as My Chemical Romance, Daughtry and Motorhead. The 12 songs on Gavin DeGraw revisit the themes of love and relationships, while taking Gavin's matured songwriting in an exciting new direction.

"The VH1 Save The Music Foundation applauds Levi's(R) and JCPenney for choosing music education as the core of their philanthropic efforts," said Paul Cothran, Executive Director of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. "Restoring music education in our public schools is an important cause, and we are proud to partner with these two outstanding corporations as we work toward our goal of bringing music into the core curriculum of each and every public school in our country."

"JCPenney has a long history of participating in programs that help to enrich the lives of children," said Steve Lawrence, executive vice president of Men's at JCPenney. "As the largest carrier of Levi's in the world, we are thrilled to team up with our national partner on an issue we know speaks to the hearts and minds of our customers and Associates."

About VH1 Save The Music Foundation

Since 1997, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has successfully restored and sustained instrumental music programs in 1,500 public schools in more than 100 cities across the country, including Memphis, Houston, Chicago, New York, Denver, Baltimore and Milwaukee. Over the past ten years, various artists and celebrities have shown their devotion to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation by partnering with the organization as they've reached out to struggling school districts across the country. Celebrities including Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Sting, Billy Joel, Kiefer Sutherland, John Legend, Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, Jewel and many more have donated their time and efforts to the organization in attempts to raise awareness about the importance of music in a child's education.

To date, The Foundation has provided more than $40 million in new musical instruments, affecting the lives of more than 1 million children. For more information on the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, please visit http://www.vh1.com/partners/save_the_music/.

About Levi's(R)

In 1853, during the California Gold Rush, our founder, Levi Strauss, opened a wholesale dry goods business in San Francisco. Today, we are one of the world's largest brand-name apparel marketers with sales in more than 110 countries. There is no other company with a comparable global presence in the jeans and casual pants markets. Our great brands and businesses have been built by consistently providing quality products and by earning the trust of consumers, investors, employees and society as a whole through responsible business practices. This principle of responsible commercial success is embedded in our 154-year history and continues to anchor how we operate today.

About JCPenney

JCPenney is one of America's leading retailers, operating 1,074 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation's largest general merchandise catalog business. Through these integrated channels, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the Company's commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price. Traded as JCP on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company posted revenue of $19.9 billion in 2006 and is executing its strategic plan to be the growth leader in the retail industry. Key to this strategy is JCPenney's Every Day Matters brand positioning, intended to generate deeper, more emotionally driven relationships with customers by fully engaging the Company's 155,000 Associates to offer encouragement, provide ideas and inspire customers every time they shop with JCPenney.

    CONTACTS:
    Elizabeth Rosenthal
    Susan Blond, Inc.
    Phone: (212) 333-7728 x105
    erosenthal@susanblondinc.com
    Maura Wozniak
    VH1
    Phone: (212) 846-7325