DiveBlue02

Arthur Triche (404) 667-7708 Katherine Christenson (678) 770-0293 Local Restaurant Cooks Up “Brunch for the Bayou” Benefit Community rallies to support rebuilding efforts in tattered Gulf region September 16, 2005 – ATLANTA - On Sunday, September 25, Copeland’s Famous New Orleans Restaurant and Bar in Buckhead will host “Brunch for the Bayou,” a benefit for Habitat for Humanity International. The event will feature an all-you-can eat Cajun brunch buffet, football watching on big screens, Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament, raffle prizes, and live music. Tickets are $30 and all proceeds from the event will go to Habitat’s Operation Home Delivery, a three-phase response to help provide assistance and rebuilding opportunities in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In conjunction with the brunch, an online auction of “beaucoup big ticket” music and sports memorabilia items will be held online on eBay so even those unable to attend the brunch can still support the cause (a link to auction site can be found at www.copelandsatlanta.com). Auction items include a guitar signed by the Rolling Stones, a Super Bowl helmet signed by the entire 1998-99 Atlanta Falcons football team, VIP tickets to see U2 at Phillips Arena, and an autographed jersey from New Orleans Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks. Bidding will start at 9PM on Monday, September 19th and continue through 9PM on Monday, September 26th. Event sponsor, SnappyAuctions.com will be administering the auction and will be on-site at the brunch to assist attendees with bidding. Copeland’s Famous New Orleans Restaurant and Bar is located at 3365 Piedmont Road in Buckhead. Hours for the Brunch are 10AM-4PM, and tickets will not be sold in advance. Poker tournament players must register in advance at www.wickedchopspoker.com. Entry for the poker tournament is $100 and includes brunch. First place prize for winning the charity poker tournament is a package valued over $1500 that includes two round-trip tickets to Las Vegas and entry into a circuit event for the World Series of Poker. For more information on registration and other prizes, visit: http://www.wickedchopspoker.com/ Sports Radio 680 the Fan (WCNN-AM) and 92.9 DaveFM are media sponsors for the event, and Atlanta Hawks and Georgia basketball legend Dominique Wilkins and one of the Hawks team mascots are scheduled to make appearances. Francisco Vidal and Mudcat among other popular local musical acts are scheduled to perform. PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE AVAILABLE. For Glen Helmstetter, managing partner of Copeland’s four Atlanta locations, Hurricane Katrina “hit home” literally. Helmstetter is a New Orleans native and most of his relatives who evacuated the Crescent City are now living with him in his Duluth home. “Our goal is to raise $50,000 through the Brunch for the Bayou. It’s going to be a fun event benefiting a great organization that will be desperately needed as the region rebuilds. Growing up in New Orleans, we were always warned of the ‘big one’. But nothing could have prepared us for the devastation that Katrina caused.” For more information on “Brunch for the Bayou”, visit www.copelandsatlanta.com or call (404) 475-1000. For more information on Habitat for Humanity’s Operation Home Delivery, visit www.habitat.org or call 1-800-HABITAT.