Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF goes Digital in its 61st Year with Online Costume Party

HGTV, Key Club International and FEED Help UNICEF Campaign Make a Mark this Halloween

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF launched its 61st annual Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. Infused with new interactive digital elements this year including the first-ever Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF online costume party, supporters will be able to plan a Halloween party, share stories, and create a virtual costume at trickortreatforunicef.org.

For 61 years, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has served as the original Kids Helping Kids® campaign for American children, providing them with an impactful way of making a difference in the lives of their peers in other countries. This year, the iconic orange Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF donation box receives a hi-tech makeover with the addition of a Microsoft Tag. This 2D barcode technology allows anyone with a web-enabled smartphone to scan the tag on the box to donate to the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.

Boxes are available for pre-order at trickortreatforunicef.org or by phone at 1-800-FOR-KIDS while supplies last. Supporters can also text "TOT" to UNICEF (864233) from any mobile device to make a $10 donation.

For the first time ever, UNICEF will have a presence at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week from September 8 – September 15. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF will present "Children Are Always in Fashion," a special showcase of UNICEF's lifesaving work. The UNICEF booth, which will be on display for the duration of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, will include vintage Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF items, among other things. On Tuesday, September 13, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week attendees will have the unique opportunity to visit a UNICEF emergency tent used during crises such as earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and armed conflicts. The tent will showcase some of UNICEF's lifesaving interventions for children and photos of UNICEF at work. For more information on "Children Are Always in Fashion", please visit www.unicefusa.org.

In addition to the children, parents and educators who have participated in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF the campaign owes its success to a wide array of companies and organizations that serve as invaluable partners. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is grateful for the support of premier media sponsor HGTV and national sponsor Key Club International; along with proud supporters FEED Projects and HSN; and promotional supporters American Airlines, Bright Horizons Family Solutions®, and Coinstar, Inc.

"We are truly thankful for the ongoing support from our partners who ensure that Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is a success each year, and brings us closer to our goal of reducing the daily number of preventable deaths in children under five from 22,000 to zero," said U.S. Fund for UNICEF President and CEO Caryl Stern. "The campaign has become one of the longest-running youth volunteer initiatives in America, largely due to the help of our wonderful partners."

HGTV is pleased to join once again the U.S. Fund for UNICEF as the premier media sponsor of the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. Now in its third year of support, HGTV will highlight Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF in a prime time Halloween television special airing Saturday, October 22 at 8 ET/PT, and include Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF in the Halloween section of HGTV.com.

The long-standing partnership between the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Key Club International has raised over $5 million for UNICEF and will continue its support of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. A student-led service leadership program of Kiwanis International, Key Club International, is the oldest and largest service program for high school students.

For the second year, FEED Projects and multichannel retailer HSN are proud to partner on the FEED Trick-or-Treat bag to benefit UNICEF, designed by Lauren Bush. For each bag purchased at HSN and hsn.com/FEEDbag, HSN will donate $3.50 to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to help UNICEF provide one child in the developing world with an entire year's worth of micronutrient powders which, when sprinkled over a meal, guarantee the important nutrients a child needs to survive and thrive. Additionally, FEED Trick-or-Treat bags will be on sale at the UNICEF booth during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions® has joined the campaign for the first time this year as a promotional supporter, and will be distributing Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF boxes and resources to participating families at 350 of its centers nationwide.

It is estimated that hundreds of millions of kids and adults, spanning three generations of Americans, have trick-or-treated for UNICEF. The campaign got its beginnings more than 60 years ago when children across the United States were inspired to collect coins to help UNICEF aid children overseas that were enduring the after-effects of World War II.

Ever since then Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has been a powerful way for people to help provide vulnerable children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood. Today, with 22,000 children dying from preventable causes each day, that mission is as urgent as ever.

About UNICEF
UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. Working in more than 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.

UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to reduce child mortality worldwide. There has been substantial progress: the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from 13 million in 1990 to 8.1 million in 2009. But still, 22,000 children die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

About Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
For more than 60 years, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has served as the original Kids Helping Kids® campaign. In 1950, children across America were inspired to collect coins for UNICEF to aid children abroad enduring the after-effects of World War II. It was not just a charity effort—it was a call to end the needless suffering of their more vulnerable peers around the globe. Since then, for generations of Americans, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has been a powerful way to make a difference in the lives of the world's children. Today, that mission is as urgent as ever, and the campaign is just as vibrant. Established as one of the longest-running youth initiatives in America, with more than $164 million raised to-date, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF remains an inspiration to the young (and the young at heart) to further the cause of children everywhere. To donate or learn how to get involved visit trickortreatforunicef.org

SOURCE U.S. Fund for UNICEF