AutoTrader.com to Use Site to Raise Awareness of and Money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®

ATLANTA, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoTrader.com will use the power of its site, which attracts more than 15 million unique monthly visitors, to help raise awareness of and funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

AutoTrader.com announced today that visitors to the site will see dynamic display ads with a "donate now" call to action throughout the site that highlight the work of St. Jude  – one of the world's premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases.  Also, individuals who purchase an advertisement to sell a vehicle on AutoTrader.com will have the opportunity to donate to St. Jude as they purchase the advertisement.  Suggested donations amounts on the Private Seller page are $1, $3 and $5 and the page offers a link back to the St. Jude website for people wishing to donate different amounts.

"We wanted to make it as easy as possible for visitors to our site to learn more about St. Jude and donate to an organization that AutoTrader.com thinks very highly of," said Melanie Kovach, AutoTrader.com Senior Director and General Manager of Private Seller Advertising.  "And a little really does go a long way.  These donations will add up quickly and coupled with what AutoTrader.com donates as a company, will really make a difference for St. Jude."

Since 2002, AutoTrader.com has supported St. Jude through a variety of channels and initiatives, including:

• AutoTrader.com has hosted more than 200 golf tournaments across the country benefiting St. Jude.  These tournaments have raised more than $1 million.
• AutoTrader.com employees volunteer about 4,000 hours per year on St. Jude fundraising projects, including staging and hosting charity golf tournaments and participating in the annual St. Jude Give thanks..Walk.™
• St. Jude has been a charity of choice for the AutoTrader.com employee giving campaign for the past four years, raising more than $200,000 for the research hospital.
• In 2009, for each dealer survey an AutoTrader.com dealer customer completes, AutoTrader.com donated $1 to St. Jude.  This program resulted in approximately $4,000 donated to St. Jude.

This program is similar to a short-term donation program AutoTrader.com ran on the site to benefit St. Jude in the fourth quarter of 2009.  That program raised $44,000 for St. Jude and set the stage for the ongoing program launching today.

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. 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 www.stjude.org.

About AutoTrader.com

AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading automotive marketplace and consumer information website.  AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers.  AutoTrader.com attracts more than 15 million unique monthly visitors who utilize the site to view vehicles for sale, research and compare vehicles, review pricing and specials, and read auto-related content like buying and selling tips, auto maintenance tips and coverage of major auto shows and automotive trends.  Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improve the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.  The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor.  For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

SOURCE AutoTrader.com