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/
Having lost his mother to the disease, singer, songwriter Gavin DeGraw knows firsthand how devastating pancreatic cancer is for patients and their families. Gavin is turning his grief into action by helping the Lustgarten Foundation raise awareness by encouraging people to get involved with the Foundation.
“My mother didn’t make it and unfortunately right now that’s a common story. But it doesn’t have to be the story permanently,” DeGraw said. “By funding research, the Lustgarten Foundation is going to change the course of this disease. I encourage everyone to get involved in some way – join a walk or make a donation.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8213753-lustgarten-foundation-pancreatic-cancer-awareness/
Extremely painful and destructive, gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis with elevated serum uric acid (sUA) a root cause of the disease. Even with the growing incidence of gout, recent research from the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) found that just 16 percent of Americans overall know the target sUA number for gout (6 mg/dL or below) – and just 38 percent of people with gout had their sUA levels checked within the past six months, the timeframe recommended by the American College of Rheumatology. Additionally, the majority of gout sufferers don’t understand the importance of taking daily uric acid-lowering medications, with four in 10 incorrectly believing that they can stop taking medications when they aren’t experiencing flares.
Seeking to increase recognition of the severity of gout and need for routine sUA testing and management, GUAES hosted a professional roundtable discussion on October 3, 2015. The roundtable brought together several experts – rheumatologists, a family care physician, and representatives from the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the National Kidney Foundation and CreakyJoints – to explore how to more effectively educate about gout and improve access to public education and treatment.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7715851-guaes-gout-roundtable-discussion/
The Alfred Mann Foundation (AMF) today announced the first subject, a U.S. Marine, SSgt James Sides, as a recipient of its highly anticipated IMES System (implantable myoelectric sensor) – an experimental system that holds the promise of being the first minimally invasive, intuitive, multi-channel control system for prosthetics intended for long term use. The IMES System is currently being studied under the Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). AMF’s ongoing trial with injured veterans at the Walter Reed National Medical Military Center anticipates subjects intuitively operating three different prosthetic movements simultaneously: opening and closing the hand, rotating the wrist, and moving the thumb. Combining these three movements enables several grasps that are invaluable for performing everyday tasks.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65112-alfred-mann-foundation-u-s-marine-subject-fda-study-for-imes-system
At a time when educators and policymakers are placing a high priority on quality early childhood education, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts today announced results of a four-year study showing that its arts integration teaching model bolsters young children’s math achievement. Additional resources, including a summary video with classroom demonstrations and the complete research report, may be accessed at http://www.wolftrap.org/stemartsstudy.
Conducted by independent evaluators at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), Findings from the Evaluation of the Wolf Trap Arts in Education Model (the Study) examined the effects of an arts-integrated teaching approach on teachers’ practice and students’ math knowledge.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7224251-wolf-trap-math-achievement/
McGruff the Crime Dog is about to “Take A Bite Out Of Crime,” specifically financial and investment fraud. Researchers estimate that consumer financial fraud cost Americans over $50 billion a year. In addition, a survey by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation of U.S. adults age 40 and older found that more than 80 percent of respondents have been solicited to participate in a potentially fraudulent scheme, and over 40 percent of those surveyed could not identify classic red flags of fraud.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7195831-ncpc-finra-prevent-investment-fraud/
Acclaimed Actress Amy Brenneman may play a silenced police chief’s wife in her new role on “The Leftovers,” but she generously lends her voice to help raise awareness for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in a newly refreshed public service awareness campaign.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7204352-crohn-s-colitis-foundation-of-america-awareness-psa-amy-brenneman/
Millennium Health, a leading health solutions company, today announced the launch of the Drop Them Off campaign, in partnership with the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids’ Medicine Abuse Project. Designed to increase awareness of the problem of youth misuse and abuse of prescription medicine, the campaign intends to educate parents and youth on how to properly use, store, and dispose of prescription medications by dropping them off at appropriate collection sites among other methods, to reduce access and opportunity for misuse or abuse. Educational content will be available online (www.DropThemOff.com) and through curriculum delivered through the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation’s community-based partners. Millennium Health is a Silver Sponsor of the Medicine Abuse Project, a campaign that aims to prevent half a million teens from abusing medicine by 2017.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7071752-millennium-health-drop-them-off/
Seeking to support men and their loved ones facing the challenges that come with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, USA Rugby, the Australian Rugby Union and Astellas Pharma have partnered to launch the #pass4prostate challenge, a social media campaign designed to generate awareness of prostate cancer and support a donation of up to $125,000 from Astellas to four research and advocacy organizations: Prostate Cancer Foundation, Australia Prostate Cancer Research, Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia and Prostate Cancer Canada.
From August 5 through the end of September – Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – social media users are encouraged to record a video of themselves catching an inanimate object, mentioning why prostate cancer awareness is important to them, and then passing that object, rugby-style, symbolically to a friend or family member. Astellas will donate $5 to prostate cancer advocacy organizations for every qualifying submission with the #pass4prostate hashtag posted to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, up to a maximum contribution of $125,000.
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7579051-pass4prostate-challenge-rugby-astellas/
Today, the Ad Council and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation launched new public service advertisements PSAs) on behalf of their national GED® Achievement campaign. This highly impactful multimedia campaign is designed to provide high school dropouts the information and encouragement needed to begin the road to earning a GED® diploma.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7292751-ad-council-dollar-general-literacy-foundation-encourage-young-adults-pursue-ged-diploma/
To help officially launch Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) has released a new public service announcement featuring Emmy® Award-winning sports anchor and prostate cancer survivor, Brian Custer. This survivor story aims to raise awareness about the importance of prostate cancer screening among African-American men by delivering a simple message: Man Up and Get Checked.
“As men, we have this ego…we think we’re too macho to go to the doctor and undergo this type of check-up,” said Custer, who hosts Showtime Championship Boxing. “But the truth is: If you don’t get checked, you’re cheating your family out of having a husband or father around. And you’re cheating yourself out of life. I hope when people hear my story, they’re motivated to take action by saying: ‘I’m going to get checked, I’m going to make sure my dad or husband gets checked, too.’”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7598151-prostate-cancer-foundation-brian-custer/
Today Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), the nation’s #1 advocate for kids and teens, launched their new Boys & Girls Clubs - Alumni & Friends Club to engage its estimated 16 million Club Alumni. Alongside Alumni & Friends Club spokesperson Shaquille O’Neal, numerous other celebrity ambassadors, hundreds of local Boys & Girls Clubs, corporate and media partners, BGCA is calling former Club members to join the movement in building great futures for the next generation.
“Boys & Girls Clubs have impacted the future of multiple generations, with 54 percenti of our Alumni saying that their Club saved their lives,” said Jim Clark, president & CEO of BGCA. “We want to reconnect with the millions of former Club kids and issue a call to action to come together as advocates and ambassadors for Clubs around the country, so that every kid in America has an open door to a great future.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7618751-boys-and-girls-clubs-alumni/
