St. Jude Children's Research Hospital launches its third annual national Thanks and Giving campaign. Returning partners CVS/pharmacy, Domino's Pizza, Kay Jewelers, Target and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. each raise more than $1 million every year for the special holiday-focused campaign. Twelve new partners "" AutoZone, Bandolino, Club Libby Lu, Coffee Beanery, Diane von Furstenberg, Dollar General, GNC, Gymboree, Kmart, Rochester, Sag Harbor, and Saks Fifth Avenue "" have joined this year for the 2006 Thanks and Giving campaign.
Now in its third year, Thanks and Giving asks the public to help children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through fundraising and awareness generated by some of the country's most respected brands, media and celebrities. Thanks and Giving reaches out to people through its partner programs by asking for monetary donations to support St. Jude's groundbreaking medical research that benefits children in every community around the world. An unprecedented eighty-four cents of every dollar received from the Thanks and Giving campaign goes directly to research and treatment. St. Jude is the nation's leading children's research and treatment hospital, and the only one that covers all costs for travel, lodging, food, medicine and treatment for the child and the family. No child is ever turned away because of a family's inability to pay. "The Hospital Without Walls" not only benefits the children that are treated in the Memphis-based haven, but as the leading children's research hospital it sets protocol for children's treatment everywhere by freely sharing information as it is garnered.
Thanks and Giving was created by award-winning actress and St. Jude National Outreach Director Marlo Thomas and her siblings, Terre and Tony Thomas, the children of hospital founder Danny Thomas. The campaign asks customers to give thanks for the healthy children in their lives and give to those who are not. Everyone can support Thanks and Giving by shopping where they see the St. Jude Thanks and Giving logo "" a magnifying glass on a bright green background, which symbolizes the ongoing search for cures "" by adding a donation at checkout or by purchasing specialty merchandise that benefits St. Jude. Donations and purchases can also be made online at www.stjude.org or by calling 1-800-4STJUDE. Thanks and Giving begins nationwide on November 20 and continues through the holiday season.
"The doctors, patients, nurses, families, and supporters of St. Jude embody the spirit of the holidays every day of the year through their generous and courageous spirits," said Marlo Thomas. "The Thanks and Giving campaign enables all of us to count our blessings and give thanks for the healthy children in our lives, while also helping those children and families battling catastrophic illnesses."
The Thanks and Giving campaign includes advertisements in major magazines from Time, Inc., Hearst, Hachette Filipacchi Media and Meredith publications, in newspapers from Tribune Company and Scripps in major cities and on spectacular outdoor displays from CBS Outdoor, Van Wagner, Clear Channel Outdoor, Lamar Outdoor and Regency Outdoor in prominent locations in major cities across the country. Celebrity friends including Robin Williams, Ray Romano, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jimmy Smits and Bernie Mac donated their talent to national television spots which will air on broadcast and cable networks, in both general and Spanish-language markets. The 60-second movie trailer will once again reach audiences on more than 20,000 movie screens nationwide and on select American Airlines flights during the holidays.
Corporate Partner Quotes
"Our commitment to the Thanks and Giving campaign provides us with another meaningful way to support the wonderful work being conducted at St. Jude," said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. "The plush elephants offer Target guests and team members an opportunity to give back this holiday season and show their thanks for all the children in their lives."
"The heart of our charitable giving programs has always been children," said Eileen Howard Dunn, vice president, corporate communications and community relations for CVS/pharmacy. "We look to support programs that drive meaningful change and result in positive outcomes in the lives of those that need it the most. By supporting the work of St. Jude through the Thanks and Giving campaign, CVS/pharmacy and its customers are helping kids struggling with catastrophic illnesses to live longer, healthier, happier lives."
"Domino's Pizza is proud to be on board once again to support the 2006 Thanks and Giving campaign," said David A. Brandon, chairman and CEO, Domino's Pizza. "Our support of this campaign helps fund the tireless research St. Jude does everyday to help save the lives of children in communities everywhere and Domino's Pizza is honored to rally behind such an important cause."
"Year after year, we see the remarkable life-saving work performed at St. Jude and we are very proud of our partnership. Our participation in the Thanks and Giving campaign gives us an additional opportunity to help generate incremental awareness and funds to help the kids at St. Jude. In our opinion, there is no other organization in the world like St. Jude," Terry Burman, executive chairman, Sterling Jewelers Inc., parent company of Kay Jewelers, Jared the Galleria of Jewelry and other regional brands.
"Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a proud participant in Thanks and Giving because St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is an institution our associates and customers believe in - we proved that last year when together we raised nearly $1 million for the hospital in our first year as a Thanks and Giving participant," said Pat Connolly, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. "Thanks and Giving provides our associates and customers with another reason to feel good about shopping with us: the knowledge that through this program we are helping children everywhere - not just during the holiday season, but throughout the year."
2006 Thanks and Giving/St. Jude Partners
The St. Jude Thanks and Giving partners bring the full energy and enthusiasm of their organizations to this groundbreaking holiday season campaign. The 2006 Thanks and Giving partners include: Target , Domino's Pizza, CVS/pharmacy, Kay Jewelers, Williams-Sonoma, 7-Eleven, American Airlines, American Kiosk Management, AutoZone, BJ's Wholesale, Bandolino, Brooks Brothers, Busch Gardens, Casual Male XL, Catherines Stores, Club Libby Lu, Coffee Beanery, Diane Von Furstenberg, Dollar General, Easy Spirit, GNC (General Nutrition Centers), Gymboree, HSN (Home Shopping Network), J.P. Morgan Chase, Janie and Jack, Kmart, Macerich Malls, Marshalls, The Melting Pot, Memphis Grizzlies, Nine West, Parisian, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, Rochester, St. Louis Rams, Sag Harbor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sears, SeaWorld, West Elm, Westfield Shopping Centres, Williams-Sonoma Home and Yahoo!. Whether through an "add on" donation at checkout counters, or the purchase of specialty merchandise, shoppers who participate in Thanks and Giving support the ongoing research of pediatric cancer and other deadly diseases.
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. Founded in 1962 by late entertainer Danny Thomas, St. Jude has treated children from every state in the U.S. and from more than 70 foreign countries.
- No child is ever turned away because of a family's inability to pay.
- St. Jude covers all costs for treatment and is the only pediatric cancer research center that fully pays for travel, lodging and food for patients and their families.
- 84¢ of every dollar received goes directly to research and treatment.
- St. Jude has increased the survival rate of the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), from 4 percent when the hospital opened to 94 percent today.
- Every breakthrough at St. Jude is immediately and freely shared with the scientific and medical community worldwide. That's why St. Jude is called the "hospital without walls."
- St. Jude is the epicenter for brain tumor research, has the largest sickle cell program in the country and has an AIDS vaccine that is now in safety trials.
- St. Jude discovered a way to lessen side effects, making radiation treatment more effective for virtually all cancers.
- St. Jude follows the progress of its patients long after they leave the hospital, providing follow-up services, advice and assistance at no charge to the patients.
More information is available at www.stjude.org, where visitors can view the celebrity spots, learn about the corporate partners, buy unique merchandise designed by the patients at St. Jude, meet some of the patients, and enjoy a special kids section with interactive games and information on how kids can give back to kids in need.