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New
York, NY - October 7, 2010) - Celebrities from film,
sports, television and music have donated their time
and talents to support the 2010 Thanks and Giving?
campaign, an annual holiday program to build
awareness and raise funds for St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital. For the first time, Miami Heat
great Dwyane Wade, Olympic gold medalist
Shaun White, Univision's Angelica Vale
and comedian and late night host
George Lopez have joined the roster of
prominent personalities who have lent their voices
to ask consumers to Give thanks for the healthy kids
in your life, and give to those who are not during
the holiday shopping season by participating,
alongside St. Jude patients, in national spots on
television and in theatres. The announcement was
made today by Marlo Thomas, National Outreach
Director for St. Jude.
Jennifer Aniston, Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman
and Luis Fonsi return this year to star with
patients in the nationally televised campaign. The
awareness and funds generated through Thanks and
Giving are critical to support the life saving
treatment being done at St. Jude to help children
fighting cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
The Thanks and Giving campaign begins Thanksgiving
week and runs through the end of the year.
" I
am so grateful for the generous spirit and
compassion that we receive from our fabulous family
of stars," said Marlo Thomas. "Everyone at St. Jude
is so happy and proud to have their ongoing support.
Their boundless
commitment to St. Jude helps us raise the funds that
bring hope to so many children and their moms and
dads."
" It's
a privilege each year to work on the St. Jude Thanks
and Giving campaign with such strong, beautiful
children like Jordyn who was in the TV spot with me
this year," said Jennifer Aniston. "Their bravery as
they face the fight of their young lives is truly
inspiring. It's been an honor to be part of this
team that is helping to save the lives of children
in communities across America. Being a part of the
St. Jude family is truly a rewarding gift in my
life."
" I
was honored that St. Jude asked me to join the
Thanks and Giving campaign this year," said Dwyane
Wade. "On the court, I deal with really tough
opposition, but St. Jude patients Kaelyn and Cameron
are among the most resilient people I've ever met.
They don't let their disease get them down."
"I'm
honored to be involved in the St. Jude Thanks and
Giving campaign this year," said Shaun White. "I've
been to the hospital several times meeting with the
kids and their families. Each time I visit, I am
amazed at the work being done by St. Jude and it
means a lot to me to be involved."
Grammy winners Lady Antebellum make their
debut this year in the Thanks and Giving campaign.
The group joins Keith Urban in recording
national radio spots that can be heard on more than
200 stations across the country during the holiday
season.
Luis Fonsi
returns to the Thanks and Giving initiative, along
with first time participant Angelica Vale, in
televised spots that will run on Spanish-language
stations in the United States. They have also
recorded radio spots that will run in the U.S. and
Puerto Rico.
"It's an honor to be a part of the Thanks and
Giving campaign for the second consecutive year and
to help support the life saving work being done at
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," said Luis
Fonsi. "I hope to inspire the Hispanic community to
help us in the battle against cancer by donating
during this holiday season."
The
campaign's television spots will air across
broadcast, Hispanic and cable networks in English
and Spanish, and a 60-second movie trailer will be
featured on movie screens nationwide, as well as on
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines flights. The
St. Jude Thanks and Giving celebrities will also
appear in online banner ads.
In
addition to the stars in the television spots,
Katharine McPhee, Julianne Hough, Jewel, Danny Gokey
and Jo Dee Messina, will participate in the
Thanks and Giving online campaign. The celebrities
will provide content that will be shared on
www.stjude.org, such as personal photos of
themselves with patients
and video footage at the Hospital.
Additionally, the celebrities will tweet updates
about the campaign and utilize their own social
networking sites to raise awareness and drive
traffic to
www.stjude.org. More celebrities are expected
to be announced during the Thanks and Giving
campaign launch in November.
The Thanks and Giving initiative was created in
2004 by Marlo Thomas and her siblings Terre and Tony
Thomas, children of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas,
to build awareness and raise funds for St. Jude
during a season that exemplifies thanks and giving
to so many. The funds raised by the campaign
impact the lives of children in communities
across the country. Consumers are asked to shop at
companies where the St. Jude Thanks and Giving green
magnifying glass logo is
displayed; donate online at
www.stjude.org,
or purchase specialty merchandise created by the
partners to support the campaign. A list of
fundraising partners is available at
http://www.stjude.org/ or call 1-800-4STJUDE
(1-800-478-5833); or in Spanish by logging onto
http://www.dargracias.org/ or calling
1-800-2STJUDE (1-800-278-5833).
About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital:
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. St. Jude is the first and
only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a
Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer
Institute. 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 is the only
pediatric cancer research center where families
never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No
child is ever denied treatment because of the
family's inability to pay. St. Jude is financially
supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. In
2010, St. Jude was ranked the most trusted charity
in the nation in a public survey conducted by
Harris Interactive, a highly respected
international polling and research firm. St. Jude
was also named the nation's top children's cancer
hospital in the 2010-11 Best Children's Hospitals
rankings published by U.S. News & World
Report. For more information, go to
http://www.stjude.org/ and follow St. Jude on
www.facebook.com/stjude and
www.twitter.com/stjude.
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