Post-Thanksgiving Student Telethon to Raise Money for The Kempe Foundation for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect

DENVER, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Kempe Foundation for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect will partner with Cherry Creek High School's DECA club to hold its second annual telephone fundraiser on Nov. 29.

Led by Kempe board member Patrice Gendelman, the telethon will feature volunteer students taking donations for the foundation which supports The Kempe Center. The center treats abused and neglected children, trains professionals, and conducts research to ensure healthy and hopeful futures for innocent victims affected by abuse and neglect.

Approximately 75 student volunteers from the DECA club at Cherry Creek High School will staff the phones from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., as well as distribute flyers about the event throughout the community. Supporters are encouraged to call 720-554-2200 to make a pledge on Nov. 29. Advance pledges can be made by calling the foundation at 303-864-5312.

Last year, the inaugural telethon was held on the 40th day of 2012 to honor the 40th anniversary of the establishment of The Kempe Center by Dr. C. Henry Kempe. The telethon raised more than $22,000 for the center.

"We were thrilled with the amount of money we raised last year," said Gendelman. "The students loved raising money and asked if they could do the event again this year. We are hoping to raise $30,000 this year for The Kempe Center."

Gendelman said engaging students to help support other young people is an idea she's been cultivating since she joined the Kempe board in 2011. Gendelman is the author of the successful "Hannah Rose Knows" e-book series. The stories, written for children pre-school age and up, are designed to encourage, enlighten and empower children.  

"It was the occasion of the Kempe Center's 40th Anniversary that inspired me to invite students from the DECA program at Cherry Creek High School to take the idea of young people supporting the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect and put it into practice," Gendelman said. "You are never too young to practice philanthropy."

Teacher and DECA sponsor, Beth Adolphi, says teaching kids about cause marketing requires actual hands on experience. Her students approached her at the beginning of the year asking if they could do the telethon again for The Kempe Center.

"Three of our senior students were so passionate about working with Kempe after helping with the telethon last year," said Adolphi. "They have been working hard to create an awareness of child abuse and neglect on the Cherry Creek campus and have tremendous ideas to promote the telethon. They are determined to raise even more money this year. I'm confident they will be successful and will also feel good about raising money for children suffering from abuse and neglect."

New this year, local companies are stepping up to offer matching donations during each hour of the telethon. At this time, Clarkson Capital, Dovetail Solutions, Just Like Mom, Inc., Hannah Rose Knows, LLC and other individuals have signed on to match hourly donations. For more information about the telethon or to become a matching contributor, visit www.kempe.org.

About The Kempe Foundation
The Kempe Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1976, provides the education, advocacy and fundraising support for the work of The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect. Headquartered in Colorado, The Kempe Center is recognized as a world leader in child abuse treatment programs and for more than 40 years has been at the forefront in the fight against child abuse and neglect. For more information, visit www.kempe.org.

About the Cherry Creek High School DECA:
Cherry Creek High School DECA is a co-curricular club for students involved in marketing classes. Over 200 students annually work on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and civic consciousness projects along with building professionalism and preparation for college and careers.  DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. For more information, visit www.deca.org.

Contact: Lindsey Smith
303.864.5317 or 303.856.8161
[email protected]

SOURCE The Kempe Foundation