Toys“R”Us® today announced the launch of its annual nationwide fundraising campaign to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Now through Sunday, December 6, customers can spread holiday joy to some of the 15.5 million U.S. children living in poverty by donating new, unwrapped toys at any Toys“R”Us or Babies“R”Us® store across the country and online at http://www.Toysrus.com/ToysforTots. The company will also collect monetary donations in-store and online through Christmas Eve.
NBA Legend, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Shaquille O’Neal once again joins the company’s campaign as his alter ego Shaq-A-Claus, to encourage shoppers to donate to Toys for Tots. Throughout the campaign, Shaquille will also invite social media users to #PlayItForward, an initiative designed to further spread awareness of the millions of children living in poverty and to inspire families to donate to the cause.
“Making wishes come true around the holidays is especially important to me, as I know how much one toy and one act of kindness can matter. When I was a kid, I was given my very own Dr. J autographed basketball, inspiring me to believe I could grow up to be a basketball star,” said Shaquille O’Neal. “For years, I would shop for presents at Toys“R”Us and distribute them to underprivileged children on Christmas morning. Now, in partnership with Toys“R”Us and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, I’m making it my mission as Shaq-A-Claus to give back and spread holiday cheer to the millions of needy kids in the U.S. I encourage everyone to join me this year and remember – every toy counts!”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7476351-toys-r-us-toys-for-tots-playitforward/
Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County is in the midst of unprecedented economic development, with new research revealing an influx of affluent visitors as the driving force behind new travel and hospitality-related construction and investment.
The average annual income of domestic travelers to the destination has reached $112,563 – almost 25% higher than the national average, according to a comprehensive analysis of the domestic travel market in the United States by research firm D. K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd., commissioned by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
That is a dramatic 15.5% increase from the destination’s average in 2012 of $97,517, placing Greater Fort Lauderdale among the top leisure destinations in the U.S., and well above the national average visitor income of $90,591.
This increasing appeal to affluent travelers has led to a record-breaking 14.3 million tourists spending $11.4 billion annually in the destination, which is situated along Florida’s famed Atlantic Ocean coastline between Miami and Palm Beach.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7640751-greater-fort-lauderdale-development-boom/
Toys“R”Us® today announced that The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome, the company’s annual resource for the year’s hottest toys, will begin arriving in homes this week featuring an all-new, special interactive edition. This 96-page toy compendium is compatible with the company’s all-new app, The Geoffrey Shuffle, a game that allows kids to bring to life the season’s most coveted toys through an augmented reality experience. An abbreviated catalog, which features 48 pages of kid-favorite toys, is now available online at Toysrus.com and will be in local newspapers on Saturday, October 31. This year’s highly-anticipated gift guide from The World’s Greatest Toy Store™ also includes thousands of dollars worth of compelling deals and coupon offers, valid Sunday, November 1 through Saturday, November 21.
“The arrival of The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome marks the kickoff of the time-honored tradition of children eagerly studying pages upon pages of the year’s hottest toys, curating their must-have lists for Christmas morning,” said Richard Lennox, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Toys“R”Us, U.S. “Within the book, we created eight interactive lifestyle spreads that show the breadth of our assortment and make bold statements for some of the brands most beloved by kids. This catalog is the centerpiece of our holiday marketing efforts, and extends the theme of “AWWWESOME,” speaking not only to the excitement kids have when they turn the first page, but also the ways the company is helping gift-givers save with great deals and services, such as Price Match Guarantee and Free Shipping.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7476352-toys-r-us-book-of-awesome-2015/
Today Barclaycard US, the payments business of Barclays in the United States, announced the launch of the #IHAVEARRIVED Travel Community contest, hosted by Barclaycard Arrival™ MasterCard®. Travel enthusiasts and Barclaycard Arrival cardmembers are invited to join the Barclaycard Travel Community to share their #IHAVEARRIVED travel moment. Barclaycard Arrival cardmembers who enter, have the opportunity to win an exclusive grand prize trip for two to the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards® in February 2016. Community members who are not Barclaycard Arrival cardmembers have an opportunity to choose between two grand prize options: a West Coast VIP trip for two to Napa Valley, California or an East Coast VIP trip for two to New York City.
“Since launching in 2013, Barclaycard Arrival continues to be recognized by industry experts as the go-to travel card,” said Maurice Ragland, vice president of branded cards. “We make it easy for cardmembers to have once-in-a-lifetime adventures by offering the industry’s best travel rewards program. What better way to showcase these moments than through the #IHAVEARRIVED campaign.”
Travel enthusiasts across the country are encouraged to share memorable travel stories from October 28 through November 22 in the Barclaycard Travel Community. Entries must include a short description and photo of the travel experience. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, writing and photography.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7671251-barclaycard-ihavearrived-launch/
Today, Cox Enterprises released the results of the second annual Cox Conserves Sustainability Survey, which showcased that Millennials will lead the way for small and medium businesses in future conversations and efforts around conservation, energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. The survey, commissioned by Cox Enterprises, is a national study that examines sustainability opportunities and challenges for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
The top finding from the 2015 survey is that Millennials have a huge appetite for sustainability and will drive adoption of these practices. Millennials showed greater knowledge about sustainability than other age cohorts and a strong interest in implementing sustainable business practices, but noted that in their current roles, they lacked the influence needed to effect change.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7486651-cox-conserves-sustainability-survey/
Today Evergreen Packaging, with support from KidsGardening.org, announces the launch of the second annual Carton 2 Garden contest, a nation-wide competition inviting K-12 students to repurpose milk and juice cartons to build creative gardens or enhance their schools’ existing garden. The Carton 2 Garden Program promotes hands-on teaching, with opportunities for building important problem solving and life skills, and awards more than $25,000 in prizes to schools across the country. This initiative underscores Evergreen Packaging’s on-going commitment to raise awareness about the importance of eco-friendly packaging.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7670651-evergreen-carton-2-garden-contest-2015/
Christina Nicols, senior vice president and director of strategic planning and research at Hager Sharp, was named the Washington Women in Public Relations’ (WWPR) 2015 Washington PR Woman of the Year Friday in a ceremony honoring top public relations executives and celebrating women in communications.
Nicols was one of three public relations professionals chosen as an honoree for the 26th annual award. The other finalists were Carrie Fox, president of C. Fox Communications, and Lisa Throckmorton, chief operations officer at SpeakerBox Communications. The three finalists represent women who have led some of the most influential communications campaigns in the District and across the country.
“This is a phenomenal honor and I am humbled to be surrounded by such exemplary leaders in the field who are dedicated to mentoring and supporting the next generation of public relations professionals,” said Nicols. “It is a special privilege to join the ranks of previous PR Woman of the Year recipients including Hager Sharp’s own cofounders Susan Hager and Marcia Sharp, as well as our CEO Jennifer Wayman and executive vice president Debra Silimeo.”
Nicols was presented the award by Silimeo, the 2010 PR Woman of the Year, at Friday’s luncheon.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7695751-2015-wwpr-woman-of-the-year-award/
Holiday car thieves had their busiest day in 2014 on, ironically, Labor Day, stealing 2,200 vehicles according to new data released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). NICB’s 2014 Annual Holiday Vehicle Theft Report analyzes data from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which showed a total of 695,246 vehicle thefts for the year.
After Labor Day, New Year’s Day was the next most active holiday with 2,011 thefts. Halloween came in third with 2,010 thefts followed by Memorial Day with 1,933 thefts. Independence Day rounds out the top five holidays for 2014 with 1,877 thefts.
The holidays with the fewest thefts in 2014 were Christmas Day with 1,225 thefts and Thanksgiving with 1,384 thefts.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523155-nicb-holiday-vehicle-theft-report/
The period between Christmas and New Year’s typically has one of the highest rates of impaired driving fatalities, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In an effort to reduce drunk and buzzed driving related incidents during the holidays, NHTSA, the Ad Council and the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) launched their 12th annual “Project Roadblock: Local TV Puts the Brakes on Drunk Driving.”
Project Roadblock was created in 2004 in support of NHTSA and the Ad Council’s Buzzed Driving Prevention public service advertising (PSA) campaign. To date, broadcast TV stations across the nation have donated more than $40 million in media to support this effort. The partnership aims to unite local television stations in creating a nationwide advertising roadblock by airing Project Roadblock PSAs (Public Service Announcements) between December 26 and December 31. Local broadcast stations voluntarily participate in the campaign by donating on-air, online and mobile time and space with a special push at 10 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve. In addition, TV stations will be reaching out to their communities on social media to share social graphics and messaging to further reach audiences.
“Drunk driving remains a serious threat on our roads and claims more than 10,000 lives a year,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. ”Local broadcast television is an effective tool in reaching consumers, and we thank the TVB, all the stations, and the Ad Council for their ongoing support of drunk driving prevention, especially during the holiday season.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7701751-ad-council-nhtsa-buzzed-driving-psa/
Today in Pompano Beach, Fla., The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company set the Guinness World Record® for constructing the World’s Largest Game of Cornhole to kickoff a week of celebration leading up to the 80th Annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on December 31 in Arlington, Texas.
Measuring an astounding 64 feet by 32 feet, the super-sized version of the traditional tailgate game, cornhole, was paired up with another larger-than-life college football tradition—the Goodyear Blimp. As their school mascots cheered from the ground, cheerleaders from Michigan State University and the University of Alabama flew more than 200 feet above the massive cornhole game board to toss beanbags out of Goodyear’s newest blimp, Wingfoot One. The students competed for bragging rights in the larger-than-life game of cornhole as their teams prepare to face off in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year’s Eve. The epic game ended in a 1-1 tie.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7404459-goodyear-world-s-largest-cornhole-board/
HMR Weight Management Services (HMR), a subsidiary of Merck, has been named a No. 1 Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Diets of 2016 rankings. This is the first year U.S. News has published the Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet category. HMR also held its position as the No. 2 Best Weight-Loss Diet in the annual rankings list for the second year in a row. HMR Programs focus on helping people lose weight quickly while teaching the healthy lifestyle skills needed for long-term weight management.
“HMR programs excel at providing the jump start many people need when beginning a healthier lifestyle program,” said Carol Addy, M.D. MMSc, Chief Medical Officer at HMR. “A common misconception is that losing weight quickly is not healthy, not sustainable, and will just lead to future weight re-gain. To the contrary, numerous clinical studies demonstrate that following a lifestyle change program which promotes fast initial weight loss can result in better long-term success.” Addy added, “On the HMR Program, people can lose weight without feeling hungry. Our programs achieve fast weight loss in a livable way by encouraging people to eat more and stay satisfied, which makes it easier to stick to the program in the short-term, and over the long haul.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7670751-hmr-program-named-best-weight-loss-diet/
On Saturday, May 21, 2016, Keep Memory Alive will host its extravagant 20th annual Power of Love™ gala at Las Vegas Arena honoring Tony Bennett with a spectacular 90th birthday celebration. True to its now-legendary style, the Power of Love gala will feature one-of-a-kind performances, exciting live auctions, remarkable wine and cocktails and exquisite cuisine by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. Now in its 20th year, the gala continues to raise funds in support of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
Tony Bennett, who recently visited Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health commented, “During my tour of the Center, I saw first-hand the incredible care provided and ground-breaking initiatives in place, and I am honored to know that all proceeds from this 90th birthday event will benefit Keep Memory Alive and Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7724851-keep-memory-alive-tony-bennett/
