BabyCenter and ABC News to Host Million Moms Challenge "Baby Shower for Global Good"

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BabyCenter.com, the #1 pregnancy and parenting online and mobile destination worldwide, is hosting the BabyCenter Million Moms Challenge "Baby Shower for Global Good" to help moms give back by creating a day-long "Tweet-and-Post-a-Thon" that showcases top philanthropic organizations for a day of social cause, social action, and fun. This event aims to raise awareness for underserved moms around the globe and promote the recently launched Million Moms Challenge, a joint effort of ABC News and the UN Foundation with support from corporate partner Johnson & Johnson.

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The "Baby Shower for Global Good" is an 8-hour online party that will be held on Twitter (#amillionmoms) and in the BabyCenter Community on November 8. This cross-platform party – which is a fun way for moms to get together, share support and advice, and raise awareness about maternal health issues – will showcase more than ten world-class organizations that are helping mothers and children around the world. The organizations will provide prizes, experts, and compelling real-life stories about challenges faced by moms around the globe. During this event – a virtual baby shower – each mom participates from her computer or smartphone, sharing stories and photos, playing games, winning prizes, and communicating in real time. With moms' increased use of and proficiency in social media, the traditional milestone of celebrating one's pregnancy with a shower has become a virtual celebration.

"BabyCenter currently serves over 24 million families worldwide every month with a blend of expert advice and mom-to-mom wisdom personalized to the age of her child," said Tina Sharkey, BabyCenter's Chairman and Global President. "But with four babies now born every second, there are so many more moms across the globe that are lacking even the most basic information and support. Through a combination of social platforms like Twitter and the BabyCenter Community, we are able to create the Baby Shower for Global Good and work with ABC News to amplify our efforts to activate moms, moving the needle at home and around the world."

In addition to BabyCenter (@babycenter) and ABC News (@abcnews) and the UN Foundation (@unfoundation), Million Moms Challenge partners in the baby shower include: Johnson & Johnson (@jnjstories), USAID   (@USAID), Partners in Health (@pih), Save the Children (@savethechildren), International Medical Corps (@imc_worldwide), World Vision (@worldvision),  Riders for Health (@ridersforhealth), Every Mother Counts (@everymomcounts), ONE.org (onecampaign), International Medical Corps (@imc_worldwide), the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (@wraglobal, Care.org (@care), Text4baby (@mytext4baby), UNICEF (@unicef), Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action, Hope Phones (@hopephones), Two Degrees Food   (@twodegreesfood, Information Blanket   (@infoblanket), Blog Frog (@theblogfrog) and Join (RED) (@joinred).

Moms who want to participate in the BabyCenter Million Moms Challenge "Baby Shower for Global Good" can enter the hashtag #amillionmoms on Twitter or visit the BabyCenter Community on November 8 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST. For more information, visit BabyCenter's Momformation blog or www.MillionMomsChallenge.org.

To get involved in the conversation about healthy moms and babies around the world, follow @AMillionMoms on Twitter and use the hashtag #amillionmoms.  You can also like Million Moms on Facebook at facebook.com/millionmomschallenge.   In recognition of the first 100,000 people who join or like the Million Moms Challenge, Johnson & Johnson will donate $100,000 to several of the biggest NGOs helping moms and babies throughout the world.

About BabyCenter®, LLC

BabyCenter® is the voice of the 21st Century Mom® and modern motherhood. It's the #1 pregnancy and parenting mobile and web destination worldwide, reaching more than 10 million moms monthly in the United States and more than 24 million moms monthly in 22 markets from Australia to India to China. In the United States, 7 in 10 babies born last year were BabyCenter babies. BabyCenter is the world's partner in parenting, providing moms everywhere with trusted advice from hundreds of experts around the globe, friendship with other moms like them, and support that's remarkably right at every stage of their child's development. BabyCenter also works with some of the world's most prominent brands and institutions to provide life-stage marketing solutions and a direct line to highly engaged moms. BabyCenter is a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

About the Million Moms Challenge

Using the latest in social media strategies together with world-class broadcast and digital news platforms, the Million Moms Challenge is building a vibrant community that connects moms everywhere around things all mothers care about: the right nutrition to support their pregnancies, trained midwives to assist in safe deliveries of newborns, and vaccines that allow children to survive to celebrate their first birthdays and beyond. Through broadcast stories focusing on personal stories and innovative solutions from around the world, the Million Moms Challenge is raising awareness about the extraordinary challenges faced by mothers and babies in the developing world. For more information about the Million Moms Challenge, visit www.millionmomschallenge.com.

About ABC News

ABC News is responsible for all of the ABC Television Network's news programming on a variety of platforms: television, radio and the Internet.  Its flagship program is "World News with Diane Sawyer" with other programs including "Good Morning America," "Nightline," "Primetime," "20/20," and the Sunday morning political affairs program "This Week with Christiane Amanpour." With an average television and radio audience of 180 million people in a given month, ABC News surpasses the competition.  More than 2,400 affiliate stations broadcast ABC News Radio's global news coverage.  In addition, ABC News NOW is a 24-hour news and information network currently available to 44 million users across cable, broadband, and mobile platforms. NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News, provides live and packaged news, sports, and weather reports, as well as footage of news events, to 200 ABC affiliates and more than 30 domestic and international clients. Visit www.abcnews.com.

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public/private partnerships to address the world's most pressing problems, and works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach.  Through campaigns and partnerships, the organization connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The campaigns reduce child mortality, empower women and girls, create a new energy future, secure peace and human rights, and promote technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are helping the UN advance the eight global targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.

SOURCE BabyCenter(R) LLC