St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® Asks Shoppers to 'Give Thanks' and Give Back to Children Battling Cancer and Other Deadly Diseases

More than 60 top brands to participate in eighth annual St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With holiday decorations hitting the shelves even earlier this year, shoppers across the country have started to make their lists and are reminded of the things for which they are thankful. While the holidays can be a stressful time for any family, it is especially hard for families battling cancer and other deadly diseases at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Starting this November, consumers can help lessen some of the strain on these families by participating in the annual St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign, which asks people to "Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not."  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111014/DC87166LOGO)

More than 60 top brands – including Kmart, CVS/pharmacy, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Kay Jewelers and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. – are participating in the campaign this year, which uses a variety of channels to reach a diverse audience of shoppers with the St. Jude mission of finding cures for kids battling cancer and other deadly diseases. The funds raised by the campaign impact the lives of children in communities across the country like two-year-old St. Jude patient Kiley. Kiley was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare type of eye cancer, when she was just nine-months-old and traveled to St. Jude for care. Today, Kiley is responding well to her treatment and is an outgoing and happy child who visits the hospital regularly for checkups. Kiley and several other St. Jude patients appear alongside Marlo Thomas in this year's campaign.

Thanks and Giving was created in 2004 by Marlo Thomas and her siblings Terre and Tony Thomas, children of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, to build awareness and raise funds for St. Jude during a season that exemplifies thanks and giving to so many. The official kickoff event for the campaign is the annual Give thanks. Walk.™ held on Nov. 19 in 80 communities nationwide. The campaign then runs from Thanksgiving week through the end of the year.

"The holidays are a time when families across the country reflect and 'give thanks' for the blessings in their lives," said Marlo Thomas, national outreach director for St. Jude. "Thanks to more than 60 corporate partners, holiday shoppers can help St. Jude patients and their families get the chance to enjoy many more holidays for years to come."

The Thanks and Giving campaign also seeks to reach the more than 50 million people that make up the U.S. Hispanic population. For the past two decades, St. Jude has utilized a multi-channel, integrated strategy to reach and cultivate this growing population. The Thanks and Giving holiday campaign's strong family-related message has resonated with the Hispanic community as well as with Hispanic celebrities who support the hospital's mission to raise funds that will help kids from the U.S., Puerto Rico and around the world. This one-of-a-kind campaign includes TV and radio spots starring Luis Fonsi and Richard, a St. Jude patient from Venezuela, and an active online campaign with a dedicated website for the Spanish-speaking community, www.hospitalsanjudas.org and a dedicated phone number, 1-800-278-5833.

There are several simple ways to get involved and support St. Jude:

• Participate in the St. Jude Give thanks. Walk. on November 19, a family friendly 5K that encourages friends, family members and co-workers to join together around the holidays as teams and individuals to help raise funds for the kids of St. Jude. Visit www.givethankswalk.org for a complete list of locations.
• You can support St. Jude at more than 60 participating retail partners where the St. Jude Thanks and Giving green magnifying glass logo is displayed. A complete list of partners is available at www.stjude.org.
• Purchase specialty partner merchandise including the Sterling Jewelers Charmed Memories® St. Jude Charm, the heART HSN 2011 Designer Ornament Collection, the HomeGoods water globe, a plush Holiday Bullseye from Target and an assortment of items from Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids. Consumers also can purchase merchandise from the 2011 St. Jude Holiday Gift Book by visiting www.stjude.org/waystogive.
• Make a donation online at www.stjude.org or by calling the toll free number, 1-800-4STJUDE (1-800-478-5833).  

Thanks and Giving brings together leaders in retail, restaurants, travel and hospitality as well as media brands, with one goal during the busiest shopping time period - to support St. Jude. Partners who participate in the campaign include: Kmart, CVS/pharmacy, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Kay Jewelers, Williams-Sonoma, Inc, ANN INC., Domino's Pizza, AutoZone, Target, New York & Company,  GNC, Gymboree, HSN, Dollar General, Brooks Brothers, Old Navy, The Melting Pot and many more. Claire's and Hammermill will join the campaign as new partners this year. Several partners also provide promotional support for the campaign including AOL, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Theatre industry giants including Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark and Carmike Cinemas bring the campaign to life by sharing the St. Jude movie trailer with movie-goers across the country.

St. Jude is the nation's leading pediatric research and treatment center devoted solely to children with cancer and other deadly diseases. It is the only hospital that covers all of the costs for treatment, travel, food and lodging for each patient and a family member. To learn more about the Thanks and Giving campaign and how you can help kids like Kiley get the chance to enjoy many more holidays for years to come, visit www.stjude.org.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital:
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The hospital's research has helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent when the institution opened to almost 80 percent today. It is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children, and no family ever pays St. Jude for care. For more information, go to www.stjude.org and follow St. Jude on www.facebook.com/stjude and www.twitter.com/stjude.

SOURCE ALSAC/St.Jude