Winners announced in Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and Kohl's Cares Flu Prevention PSA Video Contest

MINNEAPOLIS, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, along with Kohl's Cares^®, today announced the placement of three finalists in the Kohl's Cares and Children's Flu Prevention PSA Video Contest:

First place ($3,000): Eagan High School for "The Flu"
Second place ($1,500): Minnehaha Academy for "Flu Break Up"
Third place ($1,000): Mahtomedi High School for "Putting Off Homework"

The results of the contest were announced on Children's Facebook page on April 1.

New to the contest in 2013, Kohl's Cares^® and Children's gave the public a chance to vote in order to help pick the contest winners. After all the submitted videos passed through a round of voting by Children's staff, patients and volunteers, three videos were chosen to be voted on by the general public.

"At Children's, we care for the sickest of the sick, and this year's flu season has been one of the most severe in recent memory, so the messages of prevention are as important as ever," said Patsy Stinchfield, director of pediatric infectious disease at Children's of Minnesota. "Our hope is that this contest has helped to educate and inform young people all across Minnesota about the importance of preventing the flu and that they will take what they've learned and share it with their family and friends."

Background
Since 2009, Kohl's Cares^® has awarded a yearly grant to Children's of Minnesota to fund the Kohl's Cares and Children's Flu Prevention Project. The project offers flu vaccine clinics and educational assemblies at schools and Kohl's Department Stores around the Twin Cities to teach children and their parents about flu prevention. To date, Children's has received more than $5 million in programmatic support through the generosity of Kohl's Cares^®.

The contest
In January, students from all middle and high schools in Minnesota were invited to enter the contest and worked under the supervision of a staff member at their school. The videos were judged by Children's staff, patients and volunteers on the following criteria:

• Accuracy of flu prevention messages, which include:
  • Get vaccinated against the flu every year
  • Wash your hands
  • Cough and sneeze into your sleeve, not your hands
  • Stay home from work, school or childcare when sick
• The creativity with which students deliver flu prevention messages
• How appealing the video is to middle and high school students

Award money must be used for flu prevention and education purposes by the schools and cannot be spent by an individual or group for personal use.

To view the winning videos and learn more about how to prevent the flu, please visit www.childrensMN.org/flu.

About influenza
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a virus that infects the respiratory tract. Symptoms of influenza can include fever, cough, sore throat, severe, sudden-onset of muscle aches, fatigue, congestion, a runny nose, and, in extreme cases, death. There are four basic steps that everyone should take to prevent the spread of influenza: wash your hands, cover your cough and sneeze, stay home when you are sick, and get vaccinated against influenza every year.

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota:
Serving as Minnesota's children's hospital since 1924, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health care organizations in the United States, with 381 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children's of Minnesota provides care through more than 12,000 inpatient visits and more than 300,000 emergency room and other outpatient clinic visits every year. Children's is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children. Please visit childrensMN.org.

About Kohl's Department Stores 
Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl's operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl's has raised more than $231 million for children's initiatives nationwide through its Kohl's Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/kohls) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/kohls/) and Instagram (http://instagram.com/kohls). 

SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota