Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Named Corporate Partner of the Year by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® for Efforts to Help Defeat Deadly Childhood Diseases

Annual awards honor top partners, volunteers and donors

MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Williams-Sonoma, Inc. was recognized as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's Corporate Partner of the Year during the presentation of the ALSAC/St. Jude Volunteer Appreciation Awards on June 24. St. Jude honored partners, volunteers and donors from across the country at the annual event.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110629/DC28416)

"On behalf of the entire St. Jude family, I want to say a sincere thank you to Williams-Sonoma, Inc., their team members and customers. Their generous support moves us closer to our founder Danny Thomas' dream of a day when no child will die in the dawn of life," said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has raised more than $15.5 million for St. Jude through the annual Thanks and Giving^® fundraising campaign since 2005. In 2010, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. associates collected $4.1 million during the campaign – despite the troubling economy – through its Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma Home stores, catalogs and websites.

"Our partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is one of our company's most meaningful accomplishments," said Pat Connolly, chief marketing officer for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. "We're proud to be named Corporate Partner of the Year. This honor is shared with all our associates and customers, with whom we have contributed more than $15.5 million to St. Jude."

The ALSAC/St. Jude Volunteer Appreciation Awards recognize a wide range of St. Jude supporters – from corporate partners to volunteer groups to individual donors.  Each year, more than five million donors and more than one million volunteers and corporate partners support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.

Shadyac and Danny Thomas' children Marlo Thomas, St. Jude national outreach director and Tony Thomas, member of the ALSAC/St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors, presented the awards.

In addition to Williams-Sonoma, Inc., 2011 award winners include:

• Rosalee Echele and Dora Dill who received the "ESA Appreciation" award for their long-time commitment to St. Jude as members of Epsilon Sigma Alpha. ESA's dedication and support of the mission has helped raise more than $9 million in cash and pledges for the hospital over the past year.
• Steve Johnson of Wichita, KS., was named "Volunteer of the Year" for being the driving force behind Fox and Hound Restaurant Group's Halloween pinup promotion, making them the top fundraiser four out of five years since the start of the partnership in 2006.  In 2009 Fox and Hound was named on the Corporate Partner Recognition Wall at the hospital for raising more than $1 million, and is currently on track for raising a cumulative total of $3 million for St. Jude. In addition to the store pinups, Steve encouraged his team to hold events such as various golf tournaments, Halloween parties with costume contests, silent auctions and car washes to raise awareness of St. Jude.
• The Eric Trump Foundation Board was named "Volunteer Group of the Year" for supporting St. Jude with their annual Golf Invitational held in September and several other fundraising events. Their most recent event raised $575,000 and their cumulative total to date is more than $2 million.
• HomeGoods, Inc. was honored as the "New Corporate Partner of the Year."  Their dedication to St. Jude is evident as they rallied 194 stores in their first year and sponsored a local event, the TomorrowNite Gala in Boston to help spread the message of St. Jude.
• Zurich was recognized as "Employee Giving Partner of the Year" in appreciation of its U.S. business' employee giving program and for donating through corporate grants and employee fundraising more than $815,000 to St. Jude over the past nine years.
• Robert and Mary Jane Engman were honored as the "Cardinal Stritch Donor of the Year" for their generous support to St. Jude. Through their extraordinary giving, they have named a Pharmaceutical Sciences Lab on the 5^th floor of the Chili's Care Center, which is shared by St. Jude CEO Dr. William Evans and pioneering St. Jude researcher Dr. Mary Relling. Previously they funded the John Rodman Lecture in the St. Jude Pharmaceutical Sciences department.
• Shipping giant FedEx Corporation and its founder Frederick W. Smith of Memphis, Tenn., received the "Michael F. Tamer Award," which is ALSAC's highest honor. Mr. Smith served as a St. Jude board member beginning in 1985 and then as a member of St. Jude's Professional Advisory Board, today he continues to provide guidance as an Emeritus board member. His continued dedication is deserving of the highest honor bestowed on a volunteer.
• Toni Brinker, accepted the "Legacy Award" on behalf of her late husband Norman Brinker, retired CEO of Brinker International, for his vision, pioneering spirit and innovation for the mission of St. Jude.
• Jerry Mathis of Memphis, Tenn. was honored with the "Richard C. Shadyac, Sr. Award" for unselfishly sharing his experiences as a St. Jude patient with countless St. Jude visitors and supporters to illustrate the hospital's unique mission. Mathis has seen the impact of St. Jude from both sides of the glass – once as a patient from the age of four, and now as an ALSAC employee.  Over the years he has shared his inspirational story and passion for the organization which has motivated many and demonstrated the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.  
• Richard Davies received "Special Recognition" for sharing the St. Jude story for more than 30 years documenting St. Jude patient stories for television shows as a producer but also for his commitment to countless other events for St. Jude.

More awards recognizing exceptional volunteers and fundraisers will be awarded during an event in Memphis on July 31.

About St. Jude

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family's inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more information, go to www.stjude.org and follow St. Jude on www.facebook.com/stjude and www.twitter.com/stjude.

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital