St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® Launches 9th Annual St. Jude Thanks and Giving Campaign

USA - English

• Latin America - español

New partners Coca-Cola, Carnival Cruise Lines, Coldwater Creek, ICING and Gifts That Give,
join more than 60 world-class brands in support of St. Jude's lifesaving mission

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Throughout November and December, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^® and its St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign partners will give holiday shoppers new ways to give thanks for the healthy kids in their lives, and give to those who are not.

Now in its ninth year, the campaign and its partners have raised awareness and more than $312 million in funds to help St. Jude children with cancer and other deadly diseases with pioneering research and exceptional care. "My father believed that every child had the right to a chance at life no matter their race, religion or their family's ability to pay," said Marlo Thomas, national outreach director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "Thanks to the continued generosity of our extraordinary partners and their customers, we've been able to save the lives of countless children and teens worldwide – all at no cost to their families. We are incredibly grateful for their continued dedication to the lifesaving mission of St. Jude."

Support of these partners is critical as no family ever pays St. Jude for anything. The 2012 edition features new partners and expanded opportunities for people to engage with and donate to the campaign online and through their mobile devices.

St. Jude Thanks and Giving partners include more than 60 leading brands representing retail, restaurant, travel, hospitality, media and other industries who ask consumers to give to St. Jude. This year, new brands like Coca-Cola, Carnival Cruise Lines, Coldwater Creek, ICING and online retailer Gifts That Give join the family of St. Jude Thanks and Giving partners. Campaign stalwarts Kmart, CVS/pharmacy, ANN INC. (the parent Company of Ann Taylor and LOFT), DICK'S Sporting Goods, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., GNC, Domino's Pizza, New York & Company, AutoZone, Dollar General, Gymboree, Brooks Brothers, HomeGoods, Claire's, HSN and many others will invite consumers to make a donation at checkout. AOL, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Kay Jewelers, Target®, Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas and others will support the campaign through product promotions and awareness efforts.

These highly-engaged corporate partners help raise much-needed funds and awareness for St. Jude across multiple in-store, online and media channels:

• Kmart, the top St. Jude Thanks and Giving fundraiser for the past three years, will host shopping sprees with St. Jude patients and personalities Sandra Lee and Jaclyn Smith in New York and L.A.
• Coca-Cola, the campaign's first partner from the consumer packaged goods category, will include St. Jude Thanks and Giving as a benefactor of its My Coke Rewards program. For more information, visit mycokerewards.com.
• Coca-Cola also will team with long-standing St. Jude partner, Domino's Pizza, to offer the St. Jude Thanks and Giving Combo. Domino's will donate $1 from the purchase price of each combo to St. Jude.  Coca-Cola will support the initiative with local media.
• Both GNC and Domino's will integrate the campaign into their mobile applications, increasing awareness and encouraging donations.
• National CineMedia will use its CinemaSync second-screen movie app to integrate with the campaign's star-studded trailer on-screen and in theatre lobbies to show audiences how they can donate to St. Jude.
• Kay Jewelers, Jared the Galleria of Jewelry and New York & Company will run Facebook campaigns in which they will donate to St. Jude for every new "like" to their Facebook pages.
• HSN will host the first St. Jude Thanks and Giving "Pin to Give" Pinterest promotion where users will be encouraged to create a special "Deck the Halls for St. Jude"–themed board. HSN will donate $1 for each board, up to $5,000.
• Gifts That Give, an online charitable shopping site, will donate 20 percent of each purchase to the shopper's charity of choice. St. Jude will be the featured charity during the months of November and December.
• Carnival Cruise Lines will enhance its year-long giving platform (Care to Play: Carnival for St. Jude Kids) by offering its guests the option of making donations during the embarkation process throughout the holiday season.
• Retail partners like Domino's, Gifts That Give and HSN also will allow consumers to add a donation to St. Jude during online checkout.

In addition, national television spots featuring St. Jude celebrity supporters, coupled with print and out-of-home advertising and retail point of sale marketing, will be complemented by a special promotional website, online banner and search advertising, and mobile and social media integration.

In support of the campaign launch this November, corporate partners, celebrity friends and St. Jude supporters will be invited to participate in the first-ever St. Jude Thanks and Giving "Buzz Day," a single-day social media effort designed to create awareness for the campaign and the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign, created in 2004 by Marlo Thomas and her siblings Terre and Tony, children of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, celebrates the season of giving by building attention and garnering funds for St. Jude during those months of busy holiday shopping. The funds raised during the campaign impact the lives of children in communities across the country and world, as St. Jude openly shares research discoveries directly with doctors and scientists everywhere.

There are several ways to support St. Jude throughout the campaign, which runs from Thanksgiving week through the end of the year, including:

• Adding a donation in store: Shoppers can support St. Jude at more than 60 participating partners where the St. Jude logo is displayed. A complete list of partners will be available at stjude.org when the campaign officially launches Nov. 1.
• Donating online: Make a donation at stjude.org or call 1-800-4STJUDE (1-800-478-5833).
• Purchasing specialty merchandise: Special merchandise benefiting St. Jude can be purchased at a variety of retailers, including Ann Taylor (scarf and tote); Brooks Brothers ("Brooksie" plush bear, silk tie and belt, Paul Brown collectible cookie and Panettone tins); HSN (HSN Cares' heART 2012 Designer Ornament Collection); Kay Jewelers ("Luke" and "Logan" plush bears), Kmart (collectible holiday ornament); HomeGoods (holiday snow globes); Target® (Bullseye plush dog); Pottery Barn (items from the Mercury Glass Collection); Pottery Barn Kids ("Peanut" the bear); PBteen (cell phone holders), West Elm (decorative owls); and Williams-Sonoma (St. Jude-branded gift cards). A full list of partners and their promotional support will be located at stjude.org.
• St. Jude Give thanks. Walk. ™ : This official kickoff event for the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign is held on Nov. 17 in 90 communities nationwide. The family friendly 5K encourages supporters to join together during the holidays as teams and individuals to help raise funds for the kids of St. Jude. National Platinum Sponsors include New York and Company, Brooks Brothers and AutoTrader.com. Visit givethankswalk.org for a complete list of locations.  
• Text-to-donate: This year consumers will be asked through national television spots and out-of-home to text HOPE to 50333 to donate.
• St. Jude Gift Shop: Support the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign by visiting the gift shop on stjude.org, featuring products for men, women and children.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital:

Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for anything and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital