Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ciara, Gaten Matarazzo and more celebrate young change-makers at WE Day Washington

– Backgrounders, photos and information are available on the Electronic Press Kit –
– WE Day Washington is free to thousands of students thanks to partners led by National Co-Title Sponsors The Allstate Foundation and Co-Title Sponsor Microsoft –

TACOMA, WA, April 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Today, WE Day returns to Washington bringing together over 16,000 students and educators at Tacoma Dome to celebrate young people committed to making a difference.  The inspiring youth empowerment event features renowned speakers, innovative thought leaders and dynamic performers including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ciara, Gaten Matarazzo, Ariel Winter, alongside WE Co-founder Craig Kielburger and co-hosts Skai Jackson and Bailee Madison and more. WE Day Washington is free of charge to students and educators across the state thanks to the generous support of sponsors led by National Co-Title Sponsor The Allstate Foundation and Co-Title Sponsor Microsoft. This means students can't buy a ticket to WE Day Washington—youth from across the state earn their way by taking action on one local and one global issue of their choice.

"It's an honor to be back at WE Day to recognize and celebrate the positive impact youth are creating at home, in Washington and around the world," said Ciara, Grammy® Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer, model and WE Day Washington Co-Chair. "I'm so proud to be part of a community that is moving forward together with such determination to change the world; they really are redefining what is possible when you are passionate and you use that passion for good."

Speakers and performers at WE Day Washington energize the crowd through a day filled with powerful educational speeches, inspirational moments and empowering performances. A few must-see highlights include:

• NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer, New York Times best-selling author and columnist, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, empowers youth to break down barriers and move past obstacles to create the change you want to see in the world.
  
  
• Singer/songwriter, Johnny Orlando, lights up the stage with a performance of his hit-songs 'What if' and 'Waste My Time'.
  
  
• Actor, Gaten Matarazzo, encourages youth to celebrate their differences and embrace the things that make each person unique.

"I'm thrilled to be at WE Day Washington to recognize and celebrate the work of the thousands of incredible young leaders here today. Each student and educator has challenged themselves to give back in remarkable ways and make a real difference in their local and global communities," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE. "We're honored to provide educators with the tools to build the confidence, self-esteem and leadership skills of young people and to encourage the next generation of engaged citizens. From tackling the stigma surrounding mental health, to fundraising to improve access to clean water in overseas communities and using technology as a force for inclusion, today's young change-makers are more fearless than ever when it comes to taking action on timely issues. Their unwavering commitment to doing good never ceases to inspire me and all of us here today to support them."

More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the free, yearlong educational program WE Schools, a program designed to enhance a school or community's existing social initiatives or spark new ones. With a global network of students and teachers in 16,000 schools across North America the UK, and the Caribbean. WE Schools provides participants with curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns, encouraging students to further their curricular learning and develop life skills to succeed beyond the classroom. In the 2017/2018 school year, over 5,850 schools and school groups across the US helped improve the world through WE Schools, volunteering over 5.3 million hours and raising more than $4.1 million in support of over 1,800 global and local causes including bringing awareness to accessibility and inclusion, food security, access to education, access to clean water and the environment.

The WE Day inspiration continues beyond the day through WE Day Connect, a free 90-minute interactive online event powered by Microsoft and The Allstate Foundation. Transcending geographical barriers, WE Day Connect unites tens of thousands of students and educators from across the globe to celebrate and learn from one another's service actions. WE Day Connect takes place on Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT. Visit WE.org/wedayconnect to learn more.

WE Day is supported in Washington by Co-Chairs, Jolene McCaw, Founder, Jolene McCaw Family Foundation; Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Commercial Business, Microsoft, & Laura Althoff; Pete Carroll, Head Coach, Seattle Seahawks; Russell Wilson, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks & Ciara, Grammy Award-winning Singer/Songwriter, Actress & Model. WE Day is supported by National Co-Chairs Janet Crown, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Burn 60 Studios & Steve Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, Zilliance & Officer LAPD/Hawthorne PD; Tom Wilson, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, Allstate; and Jane Francisco, Editor in Chief, Good Housekeeping & Editorial Director, Hearst Lifestyle Group.

Stay connected on the latest news and updates on WE Day:
#WEday | @WEmovement | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Media Centre 

About WE 
WE Day is part of WE—a family of organizations that makes doing good, doable. WE is made up of WE Charity, empowering domestic and international change, ME to WE, a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences to help support the charity, and WE Day, filling stadiums around the world with the greatest celebration of social good.

WE Charity was founded in 1995 by then 12-year-old Craig Kielburger with a mission to fight child labor. WE has since grown and evolved to address the root cause of child labor—extreme poverty. In the past 24 years, WE's programs have empowered over one million people with clean water, built 1,500 schools and schoolrooms overseas, and empowered more than 200,000 children with access to education.

WE enables young people and families to better the world—supporting 7,200+ local and global causes by volunteering millions of hours of social action, shopping daily with an impact, and raising millions of pounds that directly benefit their local communities and the world. Join the movement today at WE.org.

About The Allstate Foundation
www.AllstateFoundation.org

About Microsoft
www.microsoft.com

SOURCE WE Charity

Related Links

http://we.org/