MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Nov. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — This holiday season, Jennifer Aniston, Sofia Vergara, Michael Strahan, Luis Fonsi, campaign newcomer Brad Paisley and many more celebrities will join St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® National Outreach Director Marlo Thomas in supporting the annual St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign.
For the first time in campaign history, Thanks and Giving co-founders, Marlo and Tony Thomas – children of founder Danny Thomas – will be featured together in the series of television and digital spots alongside St. Jude patients encouraging people to support St. Jude while shopping throughout the holiday season.
Additional St. Jude celebrity friends – including The Game Theorists MatPat and Stephanie Patrick, recent star of The Bachelor Colton Underwood, Grammy Award-winning gospel music artist Kirk Franklin, actresses JoAnna Garcia and Elizabeth Gutiérrez, Latin rock duo Rio Roma, chef and television personality Adrianne Calvo, and YouTube beauty creators Jackie Aina and Shalom Blac – will appear in online videos calling on fans to join them in showing support and raising awareness for the hospital’s lifesaving work.
“The St. Jude Thanks and Giving season is a time of year near and dear to my heart, when we can all come together to support the beautiful and brave children and families of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Jennifer Aniston. “St. Jude is an incredible place of hope – a place that helps children who are going through something that no child or family should ever have to go through. And no family pays St. Jude for anything. Please join me this holiday season, to help make a difference in the lives of these precious children.”
Now in its 16th year, the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign has transformed the holiday season into a time of giving thanks and raising awareness. Thanks to the support of holiday shoppers, corporate partners and celebrity ambassadors, the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign raises critical funds to continue the ongoing battle to end childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Throughout November and December, consumers are asked to support the campaign by shopping at more than 60 leading national brands. Celebrity friends will also support St. Jude throughout the campaign by spreading the word and sharing what they #GiveThanks for, and asking their fans and followers to do the same.
“Our dedicated and loving celebrity friends are coming together once again to support the Thanks and Giving campaign and the lifesaving mission of St. Jude,” said Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Their kindness and devotion to this campaign is essential in raising the awareness and critical funds needed to help children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. And their inspiration also helps rally support from goodhearted donors across the county which helps ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for anything – not for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Together, we are giving hope to families everywhere.”
The national television commercials featuring Jennifer Aniston, Sofia Vergara, Michael Strahan, Luis Fonsi and Brad Paisley will run through the end of 2019 on network and cable television channels, as well as online, in both English and Spanish.
Additionally, a star-studded St. Jude Thanks and Giving movie trailer is shown by national theatre partners including AMC, Cinemark, Regal, and many others. American Airlines provides backing via in-flight video promotion and inclusion in their in-flight magazines. All of the spots, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, will debut online this week.
Created in 2004 by Marlo, Terre and Tony Thomas — children of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas — the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign began as a holiday-focused fundraising effort and has grown into an annual tradition that unites celebrities, media, retail and corporate partners to support the lifesaving mission of St Jude. While Tony Thomas has produced the campaign’s celebrity videos behind the scenes for the past 15 years, this year he is stepping in front of the camera for the first time ever to star in a segment with his sister Marlo.
Celebrity spots are available to view here.
Additional Celebrity Quotes:
“I am so proud to be a part of the St. Jude family and have the chance to spend time with these amazing kids who are the strongest people I have ever met and have so much joy,” said Michael Strahan. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a great place. The families never receive a bill for anything. And the research, the treatment and all the things that are discovered are shared worldwide. St. Jude allows a child the opportunity to have hope and that’s more valuable than anything.”
“It’s an honor for me to give my time to raising awareness to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s mission of finding cures and saving children,” said Sofia Vergara. “I love spending time with the courageous children. Their positivity and strength is unmatched. Please join me this holiday season and give hope to children in communities across America and around the world that benefit from the lifesaving research and treatment done every day at St. Jude. Together, we can help end childhood cancer.”
“I’m inspired each and every day by the children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and I’m honored to once again join them for St. Jude Thanks and Giving, as they continue working to find a cure for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases,” said Luis Fonsi. “Because of supporters around the world, St. Jude is able to freely share the discoveries it makes, which means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children.”
“The country music community has always rallied around the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and this holiday season I hope you’ll join us in helping these incredible families during the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign,” said Brad Paisley. “St. Jude is committed to continuing ’til a cure is found for childhood cancer. And no family pays St. Jude for anything – giving them the ability to concentrate on their child without financial worry. Now that’s a mission I can support and I hope you will too.”
To join the fight against childhood cancer this holiday season:
- Donate at stjude.org and visit the site to learn more.
- Shop with participating businesses and donate at the register. Visit stjude.org for a complete list of partners.
- Follow @StJude on social media and find a photo (or snap a new one) of what you are thankful for. Then post the photo to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook tagging @StJude and #GiveThanks.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, sharing stories and videos from St. Jude Inspire, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter and Instagram and subscribing to its YouTube channel.
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SOURCE ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
