Ra Sushi Raises Funds For St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital

RA SUSHI RAISES FUNDS FOR ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL


CHICAGO, IL (May 18, 2007) - RA Sushi will host its third annual "Nicky's Week" fundraiser in May to benefit the internationally renowned St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. From May 27 to June 2, 2007 both Chicagoland RA Sushi restaurants and bars (Chicago and Glenview) will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of their signature Tootsy Maki Roll, Edamame, Pork Gyoza, FIJI Water, Red Bull, and other selected beverages to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

All 13 RA Sushi stores, located in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada and Texas, will participate in the fundraiser. Nicky's Week will culminate on June 2 with a special silent auction to benefit St. Jude featuring such items as four tickets to any White Sox home game, including the Cubs vs. Sox cross-town match, a three liter collectors bottle of So-Zin wine and a Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls signed jersey.

The fundraiser was developed in memory of longtime St. Jude patient Nicholas "Nicky" Mailliard, who died February 2005 after a long battle with brain cancer. A nephew of one of RA's founders, Rich Howland, Nicky held a special place in the hearts of RA associates throughout the organization. RA initiated the fundraiser in honor of Nicky as a way to further promote the exceptional attention and support provided at no cost to families and children receiving care at St. Jude.

"St. Jude played a critical role during Nicky's illness by providing state-of-the-art care and by keeping our family informed," said Rich Howland, one of the founding partners of RA Sushi. "St. Jude is an incredible organization with an important mission, and we want to help ensure that its services remain available to children and families battling serious illness."

RA Sushi has raised more than $150,000 for the national children's hospital since 2005, and the goal is to raise an additional $100,000 this year. All donations help pay for the development of treatment and cures for diseases such as brain tumors, leukemia, childhood HIV, and other life threatening illnesses in children.


About RA Sushi
RA Sushi is best known for successfully combining distinctive sushi with a trendy, hip atmosphere. A destination for the young and chic, as well as serious sushi connoisseurs, RA serves fresh sushi to order along with outstanding Japanese fusion cuisine in a fun, lively environment. RA has 13 stores across the country, with two locations in Illinois (Chicago and Glenview) and another slated to open in Lombard in Summer 2007.

For more information on the RA restaurant locations, visit www.rasushi.com.

About St. Jude
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude treats children from Arizona, across the United States and around the world at no cost to their families. For more information about St. Jude, please visit www.stjude.org.

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