William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman Celebrate Second Annual got milk?® and Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine® "Family of the Year" Initiative

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Oscar-nominated actors and real-life husband and wife William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman have joined forces with the National Milk Mustache "got milk? ®" Campaign and Scholastic Parent & Child® magazine to celebrate the second annual "Family of the Year" initiative -- a nationwide contest to identify families who are making a difference in their neighborhoods, schools, or communities. The couple knows the important role making smart choices, like drinking lowfat milk, can play in building a strong family, giving parents and children alike the nutrients, energy and confidence needed to impact their communities.

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As celebrity ambassadors for "Family of the Year," Macy and Huffman unveiled their new "got milk?" Milk Mustache ad at the "Family of the Year" event today at Los Angeles's Zimmer Children's Museum where they honored the contest winners, the Athanas family of Studio City, CA. The couple also debuted and read aloud a new illustrated custom storybook published by Scholastic Parent & Child entitled Family4Good. With a foreword written by Macy and Huffman, Family4Good brings to life the stellar efforts of the Athanas family and will reach 325,000 students in schools across the country. During the event, the actors donated 1,000 new books to the museum's on-site library.    

The Athanas family, mom Erika, dad Peter, and children Izak (11) and Eli (6), were chosen from thousands of entries for their inspiring efforts to give back to their community and for understanding that in order to drive local change, they need to start at home with a strong family, which includes role modeling good behaviors to their children, like drinking lowfat milk each day. Two years ago, Erika and Peter co-founded 4Good, a social networking outreach organization with the sole mission of helping families participate in volunteer activities that foster the values of kindness, compassion, tolerance, community responsibility, and good citizenship. Addressing the limited volunteer opportunities for kids, the organization identifies, sponsors and tracks family volunteer opportunities such as food, clothing, and book drives within the Los Angeles area.  Today, more than 200 local L.A. families follow 4Good via Facebook, Twitter, and 4Good's website to pick and choose from charitable events that the Athanas family helps to find, organize, or coordinate.

"We are so impressed with the Athanas family," said Huffman. "They recognized a need for activities in their community that give back and are also child-friendly. These didn't exist, so they created them. That is courage and perseverance magically turned into healing."  

The Athanases will be featured in the June/July 2011 issue of Scholastic Parent & Child, released on May 24, alongside Huffman and Macy's new "got milk?" Milk Mustache ad.  

Huffman and Macy's got milk? ad marks the first time in their careers they have posed together.  Their ad reads: "Supporting roles. Helping our kids means giving them the right cues. Like adding one more serving of milk a day to help get nutrients we might be missing. So, pour one more. Your kids will follow your lead."

Adds Macy, "As a family unit, Felicity and I are passionate about teaching our daughters the importance of giving back and the benefits of strengthening our family and our community.  From starting the day with healthy food choices to the simplest task of recycling, we know we're teaching our girls positive habits at home and in the community."

"This multi-tiered program speaks volumes about the importance of community involvement and demonstrates how families across the country can truly become active, hands-on citizens," says Jeff Wellington, VP/Publisher Scholastic Parent & Child magazine. "Huffman, Macy and the Athanas family are stellar examples of how to make a positive difference in our communities, and we are proud to recognize both families as we celebrate the Athanases as our "Family of the Year."

About Scholastic Parent & Child®

Scholastic Parent & Child is one of today's leading parenting magazines, reaching more than 7.5 million parents. Parent & Child was created for families with children ages birth to 12, and one hundred percent of the editorial content is dedicated to informing parents on topics that serve the entire family, including child development, well being, health, activities, travel, fashion, and food. To visit the magazine's online site, log on to www.scholastic.com/parents. To learn more about Scholastic, visit our online media room mediaroom.scholastic.com.

About the National Milk Mustache "got milk?®" Campaign

The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), Washington, D.C., is funded by the nation's milk processors, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. The National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board, through MilkPEP, runs the National Milk Mustache "got milk?"® Campaign, a multi-faceted campaign designed to educate consumers about the health benefits of milk.  For more information, go to www.whymilk.com or Facebook.com/MilkMustache. Deutsch, A Lowe and Partners Company, is the creative agency for the National Milk Mustache "got milk?®" Campaign.

SOURCE Scholastic Parent & Child