Russell Wilson, Pete Carroll and Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks, Lily Collins, Allen Stone, Grace VanderWaal, Buzz Aldrin, Jordan Fisher and More Join 15,000 Local Youth at WE Day Seattle to Celebrate Young People Taking Action on Social Issues

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Mar 28, 2017, 10:00 ET

SEATTLE, March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WE Day, a series of inspiring stadium-sized, life-changing events that take place around the world, announces the initial list of speakers, performers and presenters attending WE Day Seattle on April 21, 2017 at the KeyArena at the Seattle Center. Alongside partners, led by Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft and The Allstate Foundation, WE Day Seattle brings together 15,000 local change-makers, inspirational speakers and world-renowned performers to celebrate their commitment to taking action on social issues.

Click to Tweet: .@WEMovement announces #WEDay #Seattle lineup @DangeRussWilson @PeteCarroll @DougBaldwinJr @lilycollins @allen_stone @GraceVanderWaal @TheRealBuzz @Jordan_Fisher

Apply for media accreditation to attend WE Day at we.org/press/we-day-press/
WE Day will stream live at 9:00 a.m. PST on April 21, 2017 at we.org/watchweday
WE Day Seattle is free to thousands of students thanks to partners led by Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft and The Allstate Foundation
Russell Wilson and Ciara announced as WE Day Seattle co-chairs

Taking the stage this year is a cast of new faces and returning WE Day favorites, including Russell Wilson, Pete Carroll and Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks, Lily Collins, Allen Stone, Grace VanderWaal, Buzz Aldrin, Jordan Fisher, Skai Jackson, Yara Shahidi, Jenna Ortega, Jordan Smith and more. This star-studded lineup will join international activists and WE co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to share their passion for change and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches to inspire another year of action.

"Speaking on the WE Day stage and hearing the brave and inspiring stories of youth across America who are making a difference, has given me strength to speak publicly about my own story in my new book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me" said Golden Globe nominated actress and author, Lily Collins. "I'm so excited to be back at WE Day Seattle surrounded by thousands of young people who encourage and support one another, embrace diversity and stand up for what they believe in with the goal of working together to make the world a better place."

Also announced today, WE Day is proud to welcome Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, actress and model Ciara as the newest co-chairs of WE Day Seattle. Russell and Ciara join the roster of WE Day Seattle co-chairs, including Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, Executive VP, Worldwide Commercial Business, Microsoft, Judson Althoff and Founder, Jolene McCaw Family Foundation, Jolene McCaw helping to champion WE Day across the state. To celebrate their role as co-chair, Russell Wilson and Ciara will participate in the event next month to motivate youth in attendance. Wilson is founder of The Why Not You Foundation—dedicated to creating real and lasting change in the world by motivating, empowering and preparing today's youth to be tomorrow's leaders.

"The youth at WE Day Seattle inspire us to continue to make an impact in the community—together we can change the world," Russell Wilson and Ciara said. "They are truly leading the way towards positive changes by teaching us to support each other and to strive to make a difference every day. We are overjoyed to play an even bigger role in supporting WE Day Seattle and elevating today's youth."

More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the free, yearlong educational program WE Schools. Providing schools and community groups with curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns, this program is designed to enhance a school's existing social initiatives or spark new ones. WE Schools encourages students to further their curricular learning, develop life skills for success beyond the classroom and become change-makers. In the 2015/2016 school year schools and groups in Washington state improved their community through WE Schools by volunteering more than 600,000 hours and raising over $900,000 for causes like hunger, homelessness, bullying and the environment.

"WE Day celebrates the amazing young people who have taken action at home and around the world, to create sustainable change for a better tomorrow," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE. "Standing in a stadium full of passionate youth will affirm your belief that real change can happen—and is happening every single day right here in Seattle and across the state. This past school year more than 650 schools and groups in Washington made an incredible impact in their own backyards and in communities around the world through their commitment and passion for change."

Chimacum High School has gone above and beyond to support the Seattle community. This past year its students partnered with a nearby "rival" school to collect over 2,000 pounds of food to donate to the Tri Area Food Bank. They are also supporting those in need by creating care packages—filled with essential hygiene items—and distributing the packages through a local coffee shop. Over the past five years, students have also raised over $5,300 for causes in Haiti, including healthcare, alternative income opportunities, water, food and education.

You can't buy a ticket to WE Day—students from across the country earn their way by the actions they take on one local and one global cause of their choice. WE Day is free of charge to students and teachers, thanks to the generous support of Microsoft and The Allstate Foundation. Microsoft is proud to empower young people—in Seattle and around the world— with the resources, skills, and inspiration they need to create a more inclusive world. The Allstate Foundation believes good starts young, and is committed to empowering America's youth with the strength, confidence and leadership skills to step us as leaders and achieve success in their lives.

The initial list of WE Day Seattle speakers, performers and presenters, in alphabetical order, announced to date includes:

Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) – Astronaut, Apollo XI & Gemini 12 Global Space Statesman
Doug Baldwin (@DougBaldwinJr) – Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl wide receiver
Sue Bird (@S10Bird) – #10, Seattle Storm Guard
Okesha Brandon – Poet, Rasta, advocate for youth experiencing homelessness and foster care, aspiring content creator, author, inspirational speaker, chef
Celebrity Marauders – International DJ collective including Kardinal Offishall, Cipha Sounds, DJ Starting From Scratch and Dready
Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) – Head Coach of the Seattle Seahawks and WE Day Seattle Co-Chair
Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins) – Golden Globe nominated actress and author
Jordan Fisher (@Jordan_Fisher) – Actor and recording artist
Tiera Guinn – 22 year-old Rocket Structural Design and Analysis Engineer for Boeing working on a NASA program
Skai Jackson (@skaijackson) – Actress and social activist
Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) – International activists and co-founders of WE
Aija Mayrock (@aijamayrock) – Author of "The Survival Guide to Bullying" and activist
Jordan Morris (@JmoSmooth13) – Seattle Sounders FC Forward, #13
Pacific Northwest Ballet (@PNBallet) – Members of the Pacific Northwest Ballet company
Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega) – Actress
Jonathan Porretta (@PNBallet) – PNB Principal Dancer
Cristian Roldan (@CristianRoldan) – Seattle Sounders FC Midfielder, #7
Yara Shahidi (@YaraShahidi) – Actress & activist from ABC's hit comedy series "Black-ish
Jordan Smith (@JordanSmithLive) – Republic Records artist and winner of The Voice
Breanna Stewart (@bre_stewart30) – #30, Seattle Storm Forward
Allen Stone (@allen_stone) – Soul and R&B singer/songwriter
Grace VanderWaal (@GraceVanderWaal) – Singer, songwriter and winner of America's Got Talent
Frank Waln (@FrankWaln) – Sicangu Lakota hip hop artist and music producer
Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – ME to WE motivational speaker, WE ambassador and author
Matika Wilbur (@matikawilbur) – Swinomish & Tulalip, award winning photographer
Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) – Seattle Seahawks quarterback and WE Day Seattle Co-Chair
Wilson & Jackson – The Last Maasai Warriors

This year, even more youth from across Seattle, Washington State and the U.S. will be able to experience the energy of WE Day Seattle. For the first time, WE Day will use the Microsoft Educator Community site to showcase live video messages to students and educators who cannot join the show in person. Following the live event there will be an hour-long highlight show available to stream or download.

Anyone can find their place with WE and commit to making a change in the world. The first step is to take the WE Pledge at WE.org. By taking the pledge, participants are joining the WE Community and making a commitment to live WE every day. For every pledge made on WE.org, $10 will be donated to local and global programs.

Stay connected on the latest news and updates on WE Day:
#WEDay
Facebook @WEMovement
Twitter @WEMovement
Instagram @WEMovement
Visit our Media Center

About WE Day
WE Day is part of WE—an organization that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world. A unique family of organizations, WE is made up of WE Charity, empowering change with resources that create sustainable impact, and ME to WE, a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences that allow people to do good through their everyday choices. The celebration of that change happens at WE Day—inspiring stadium-sized life-changing events that take place around the world. You can't buy a ticket to WE Day—young people earn their entry by taking action on one local and one global cause. WE Day unites world-renowned speakers, presenters and award-winning performers with thousands of young people and families to celebrate and inspire another year of incredible change. This year alone over 200,000 young people will come together in 16 stadium gatherings across the U.S., Canada, and U.K. to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.

A movement of 3.4 million young people supporting 2,500+ local and global causes, we've provided more than 1 million people with clean water and built 1,000 schools and schoolrooms overseas, giving more than 200,000 children access to education. WE was founded more than 20 years ago by humanitarians, activists and social entrepreneurs, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger. Join the WE movement today at www.we.org.

About Microsoft
www.Microsoft.com/WEDay

About The Allstate Foundation
www.allstatefoundation.org/GoodStartsYoung

For more information on WE Day or to request an interview, please contact:

Kendra Thompson
Associate Director, Public Relations, WE Day
+1-647-607-9564
[email protected]

Rebecca Raveendran
Manager, Public Relations, WE Day
+1-416-346-2790
[email protected]

SOURCE WE Day