Photo Flash: Beyonce Opens Cosmetology Center at Phoenix House

Phoenix House, the nation's leading non-profit provider of substance abuse and prevention services, today announces the opening of the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at the Phoenix House Career Academy. A residential treatment program with a fully equipped vocational training center on site, the Career Academy, located in Brooklyn, NY, guides students as they work toward their professional and personal goals. Adding a new track to the Career Academy's vocational programs, the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center will offer a seven-month cosmetology training course for adult men and women. As Beyoncé is a spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris, the company is generously providing all makeup, skin care, and hair care products.

The pop superstar's relationship with Phoenix House began when she was preparing for the role of Etta James in the 2008 film Cadillac Records. To play the part of the former heroin addict, Beyoncé met with women in treatment at the Career Academy. Moved by their powerful stories of addiction and recovery, she later donated her salary from the film. A year later, she and her mother and business partner, fashion designer Tina Knowles, who owned a popular hair salon in Houston when Beyoncé was growing up, conceived of the idea of Phoenix House's new cosmetology program.

"We were thrilled when Beyoncé and her mother Tina approached us about creating a cosmetology center for our clients," said Phoenix House President and CEO Howard Meitiner. "Their generosity and compassion toward the men and women we serve is extraordinary. With this tremendous gift, they have given our clients a route to achieve successful, rewarding lives in recovery."
Opening today, the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center will teach students the theory and practical skills they need to pass the NYS Cosmetology Licensure Exam. The Center will also offer complimentary services, using L'Oréal Paris products, to a wide range of community partners, enabling its more advanced students to refine and practice their skills. Phoenix House's partners in this endeavor are two divisions of the NYS Department of Education, the Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) and the Bureau of Propriety Schools (BPSS).

About Phoenix House
Phoenix House is the nation's leading non-profit provider of substance abuse treatment and prevention services, serving more than 7,000 men, women (including women with children), and teens each day at more than 120 programs in 10 states - California, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, and Vermont. For information, visit www.phoenixhouse.org.

About Beyoncé
International entertainer and iconic performer Beyoncé came to fame as a Houston, Texas teenager in the mid-nineties as a founding member of Destiny's Child, the top-selling female recording group of all-time. In 2002 she embarked on a solo career and has recorded a string of #1 singles, three chart-topping albums, Dangerously In Love (2003), B'Day (2006) and I AM...SASHA FIERCE (2008). As an actress she has starred in six highly successful films including Dreamgirls, and served as a producer on her last two films, Cadillac Records and Obsessed. She has won over 100 international and national awards, including AMAs, VMAs, EMAs, and Grammys. This year she added six Grammy® Awards to her wins, including "Song of the Year" (for "Single Ladies"), breaking the record for most Grammy® Awards won by a female artist in a single year, while bringing her career Grammy® total up to 16. In April 2009, she began her "I AM..." World Tour including sold-out stops in Europe, Australia, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. In São Paulo, Brazil she performed to her largest live concert audience ever, 60,000 fans. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Beyoncé is the artist with the most total certifications (gold and platinum singles and albums) over the past decade, with a total of 64. In 2005, Beyoncé co-founded House of Deréon and Deréon with her mother and business partner, fashion designer Tina Knowles. That same year, touched by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Beyoncé and her family formed the Survivor Foundation to help displaced victims in the Houston area. She also partnered with Feeding America during the US leg of her last tour to help deliver meals to local food banks. And in the wake of the massive earthquake that hit Haiti earlier this year, Beyoncé performed on the telethon Hope for Haiti and continues to contribute and support Haiti relief efforts.

About Tina Knowles
Tina Knowles is the co-creative director and co-founder of the House of Deréon, Deréon, and Miss Tina fashion lines produced by Beyond Productions, a partnership with the Knowles family and Kids Headquarters that was founded in 2005. A native Texan, Tina began her career owning and operating one of the most successful beauty salons in the Houston area. She is also an accomplished writer with the debut of her first book, Destiny's Style, published by Harper Collins in 2002. Experienced in nearly every aspect of what has come to be known as 'the lifestyle industry,' Tina has worked as an interior designer and has served as fashion consultant and costume designer on various film projects that include The Pink Panther, Austin Powers Goldmember, Dreamgirls, and the critically acclaimed film, Cadillac Records, released in December 2008. She is the recipient of ACE Award from the Accessories Council of America for Excellence in Accessory Design, The VHI/Vogue Fashion Award for Best Costumes, and the Golden Hanger Award - E! Entertainment for Best Fashion. Her philanthropic endeavors include the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth located in Houston, Texas, the House of Deréon Media Center, the Survivor Foundation and Knowles Temeno's Place as community resources assisting those displaced and in need.

About L'Oréal Paris
The L'Oréal Paris division of L'Oréal USA, Inc. is a total beauty care company that combines the latest in technology with the highest in quality for the ultimate in luxury beauty at mass. The L'Oréal Paris brand encompasses the four major beauty categories - haircolor, haircare, skincare and cosmetics - and includes such well-known brands as Preference, Excellence, Féria and Healthy Look haircolor; Elnett Satin Hairspray, EverPure, EverStrong, VIVE Pro, Studio Line and L'Oréal Kids haircare; Revitalift, Age Perfect, Ideal Skin Genesis, Collagen, Sublime Bronze and Men's Expert skincare; and the Colour Riche, True Match, Infallible, Bare Naturale and Studio Secrets Professional cosmetics collections, along with a portfolio of mascara including Voluminous, Double Extend and Telescopic among many others.

Photos by Kathryn Kirk