Animal Planet Teams Up With American Humane Association To Raise Critical Funds For Animals In Disasters

Matching Dollars to Support the Deployment of Red Star Rescue Teams Nationwide

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Humane Association is proud to partner again with Animal Planet's R.O.A.R. initiative for the second annual matching campaign. During the campaign, R.O.A.R. will match consumer contributions dollar-for-dollar to help raise awareness and funding for our Red Star™ Rescue teams' important work responding to animals in the most desperate need following hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and cruelty cases.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101108/DC97343LOGO)

Established in 2006, Animal Planet's R.O.A.R., is dedicated to improving the lives of animals in our communities and in the wild. The R.O.A.R. partners benefiting from this program help wild and domestic animals in the U.S. and abroad. R.OA.R. aligns Animal Planet with a powerful roster of leading animal and environmental organizations and is a key component of Discovery's overall Impact initiative which strives to celebrate, support and sustain the majesty of the earth's people, animals and natural beauty through innovative programs and events.  For more information about how Discovery is making an impact, please visit: impact.discovery.com.

The campaign runs for eight weeks from September 1 through October 31.  Consumer donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to $120,000 from the proceeds of Animal Planet licensed products.

"We are thrilled to be chosen again this year to partner with Animal Planet's R.O.A.R. campaign," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane Association President and CEO. "It is an opportunity to reach a wider audience about the lifesaving work our Red Star Rescue teams are doing for animals caught in disasters, natural and manmade. Our volunteers rescued and sheltered more than 70,000 frightened and hungry animals in the past five years alone.  Thanks to this campaign, we raised nearly $60,000 in 2011 and with all the storms we're seeing, we hope to double that support this year."

R.O.A.R. is the latest corporate partner to stand up for the remarkable work performed by Red Star. In July, Mars Petcare US, makers of PEDIGREE® Food for Dogs and WHISKAS® Food for Cats, announced their sponsorship of American Humane Association's Red Star Animal Emergency Services, and made it possible to deploy its 82-foot Rescue Rig to help during the Colorado wildfires. "We are incredibly grateful for all the support we are receiving, especially as the need is greater than ever and we need all the help we can get," said Dr. Ganzert.

American Humane Association is also competing for up to $20,000 in bonuses in various categories throughout the eight week campaign. The bonus categories include: Top Monthly Fundraiser – Dollar Amount ($2,500), Most Unique Number of Monthly Donations ($2,500), Spreading the Word – Highest Number of Shares on Facebook ($2,500), Loudest ROAR Heard by Judges ($2,500)

The matching funds are generated by Animal Planet's consumer products program, which include pet products and lifestyle products from apparel to toys and home décor. 

The matching campaign is hosted by GlobalGiving and makes it easy to participate.  To donate to any of the R.O.A.R. charities and read more about the specific projects, good-hearted consumers can visit www.globalgiving.org/ROAR.

About American Humane Association
American Humane Association is the country's first national humane organization and the only charity dedicated to protecting children and animals. Since 1877 the organization has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting our most vulnerable, including children, pets and farm animals. Today we're also leading the way in understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society. American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org today.

About Animal Planet Media
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment.  APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.

About Discovery Impact
Through its Discovery Impact programs, Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCAB, DISCK) leverages the power of its brands, businesses and employees to give back to the world. From programming that inspires and educates to annual events that make a direct impact on the communities in which we live and work, Discovery strives to celebrate, support and sustain the majesty of the earth's people, animals and natural beauty. For more information about how Discovery is making an impact, please visit: http://impact.discovery.com.

About GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving (www.globalgiving.org) enables individual and corporate donors to find and direct funds to high-impact, grassroots projects around the world. By aggregating many donors, GlobalGiving is creating a new source of funding for people with innovative solutions to challenging world issues. Utilizing its network of local projects and web-based platform, globalgiving.org, GlobalGiving helps companies achieve their charitable, corporate responsibility, employee engagement, and cause-marketing goals. GlobalGiving finds and vets projects, disburses funds, ensures reporting, and develops web solutions that leverage its community for corporate partner programs. GlobalGiving is a 501c(3) registered nonprofit organization located in Washington, D.C.. To date the GlobalGiving community has made over $49 million in contributions to more than 4,300 projects around the world.

SOURCE American Humane Association