Carnival Reaches $5 Million Fundraising Goal For St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® Two Years Ahead Of Schedule; Commits To Raising Another $10 Million Over Next 5 Years

Announcement Made By Carnival President Christine Duffy at Dr. Seuss-Inspired 'Day of Play' for Patients and Their Families at the Memphis, Tennessee, Hospital

MIAMI, Sept. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- After achieving a $5 million fundraising goal for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®, Carnival Cruise Line has announced an additional $10 million goal by 2020, while continuing its role as the hospital's Official Celebration Partner.

The announcement was made by Carnival President Christine Duffy at the hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, during the cruise line's third annual Day of Play which this year featured a variety of Dr. Seuss-themed activities for patients and their families. At the event, Carnival officials presented the hospital with an oversized check for $5 million, representing the funds raised for St. Jude over the past two years – a full two years ahead of schedule. Carnival has raised $8 million in total for the hospital since the start of their partnership in 2010.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Unlike any other hospital, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from individual contributions. Thanks to generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

Modeled after the line's popular fleetwide Seuss at Sea program, the "Dr. Seuss On The Loose" Day of Play transformed a pavilion at the hospital into a Dr. Seuss-themed play area.  The day's highlights included the Seuss-a-Palooza Parade and Story Time featuring a spirited reading of The Cat in the Hat, along with fun activities like face painting, bean bag toss, a photo booth, arts and crafts, dancing and more. There was also a replica of a Dr. Seuss Bookville family reading venue modeled after a similar facility on the cruise ships Carnival Freedom and Carnival Vista, the latter of which is under construction and set to debut in Europe May 1, 2016.  Fun and tasty Dr. Seuss-inspired snacks and treats, along with a variety of giveaways, were included, as well.

In addition to serving as the Official Celebration Partner of St. Jude, the cruise line conducts a variety of Care to Play: Carnival for St. Jude Kids shipboard fundraising activities throughout the year.  These include a fun dance activity called Groove for St. Jude and the Beary Cuddly program where kids can make their own stuffed animal with proceeds benefiting the hospital.  Additionally, when guests purchase a designated bakery item from the line's on-board shops or prior to their cruise on carnival.com, Carnival donates a portion of each item sold to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  

About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 24 ships operating three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.  The company currently has two 133,500-ton ships on order - Carnival Vista, scheduled to enter service in 2016, and an as-yet-unnamed vessel set to debut in 2018.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude has the world's best survival rates for some of the most aggressive childhood cancers, and treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since we opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent in the next decade. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries we make, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude) and following us on Twitter (@stjude).

About Dr. Seuss
Theodor "Seuss" Geisel is quite simply the most beloved children's book author of all time. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984, an Academy Award, three Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and three Caldecott Honors, Geisel wrote and illustrated 45 books for children. Hundreds of millions of copies have found their way into homes and hearts around the world. While Theodor Geisel died on September 24, 1991, Dr. Seuss lives on, inspiring generations of children of all ages to explore the joys of reading.

SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line