FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Navajo Relief Fund was selected by Red Sox player to receive proceeds from sale of charity wine.

May 11, 2010, Phoenix, AZ and Gallup, NM (PR.com) —Today kicks off the charitable works of Boston Red Sox left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. He will support several charities by donating proceeds from the sale of wine under the label “ZinfandEllsbury.”

A Navajo and one of three Native Americans in major league baseball, Jacoby is proud of his Native heritage. It is meaningful that he selected a charity that benefits the Navajo people.

The Navajo Relief Fund was started to improve quality of life for the Navajo people living in remote communities on the Navajo Reservation. NRF also works with Ramah Navajo and the Colorado River Indian Tribes, which have Navajo members.

Shannon Albert, President of the group, says “Any proceeds that Jacoby raises will be a great way to help his people.” Jacoby Ellsbury’s project will also help more Americans become aware of the conditions on the Navajo Reservation and that the Navajo Relief Fund is a way to help. “This is important,” says Albert. “Most Americans are unaware of the true conditions that exist on America’s reservations."

The Navajo Reservation is the largest reservation in the U.S. These are the current conditions:

• Unemployment at 40% to 50%
• Poverty that affects 43% of the people
• High-school dropout rates at 45% to 55%
• Teen suicide 4 to 5 times the national average
• Diabetes 2.5 to 3 times than the national average
• Incomplete kitchens or plumbing in 85% of homes
• High food insecurity among families and the Elderly

The Navajo Relief Fund (NRF) works in remote communities year-round, when reservation programs invite our support. This means that our work in the communities is always self-determined by the communities. Through such partnerships, about 25,000 Navajo youth, Elderly, and families a year benefit from NRF services such as community nutrition, preventative healthcare, and emergency relief services.

Working through Charity Wines and Charity Hop, 100% of Jacoby’s proceeds will be donated across three charities: The Navajo Relief Fund, Project Bread: The Walk for Hunger, and the Ellsbury Read Project. The wine launched alongside a charity wine by Boston Red Sox teammate Josh Beckett, called Chardon-K.

NRF is a Program of National Relief Charities, which has been serving Native Americans for 20 years. For more information, visit www.nrfprograms.org and http://www.nativepartnership.org.

This release can also be viewed at http://www.pr.com/press-release/233004.

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