TO LAUNCH ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL’S

 SEVENTH ANNUAL THANKS AND GIVING CAMPAIGN

 BEGINNING THANKSGIVING WEEK AND
RUNS THROUGH THE END OF 2010

National program unites more than 60 of America’s most respected brands from all business sectors to help save children’s lives this holiday season

Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Robin Williams, Dwyane Wade, Shaun White, George Lopez, Luis Fonsi and Angelica Vale to star in Thanks and Giving 2010 ad campaign

(Memphis, TN – October 27, 2010) – Marlo Thomas and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® announced today the launch of the seventh annual Thanks and Giving^® campaign. This holiday-focused program builds awareness and raises funds for the lifesaving research and treatment being done at St. Jude to help children fighting cancer and other catastrophic diseases.  New partners, Cornerstone Brands, Expedia, HomeGoods, Old Navy, Talbots, Trump Hotel Collection and Tumi, join more than 60 of the nation’s leading brands from virtually every business sector that have committed to supporting St. Jude by being a part of the Thanks and Giving campaign during the holiday season. The announcement was made by Marlo Thomas, national outreach director, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Richard C. Shadyac, Jr, CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude.

Leaders in hospitality, travel, restaurants and retail, as well as media brands including broadcast and cable television, radio and online, have come together to support the Thanks and Giving campaign this year, which asks everyone to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.”   The Thanks and Giving campaign begins Thanksgiving week and runs through the end of 2010.

“We are so grateful that year after year these wonderful companies are a part of our Thanks and Giving campaign to help raise funds critical to the research and treatment taking place at St. Jude,” said Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director. “It costs nearly $1.5 million a day to run the hospital and no child is ever turned away for a family’s inability to pay. The support we receive from our partners helps us keep this promise and provides hope to so many children and their families. We are so grateful for their commitment and generosity.” 

Thanks and Giving’s seven new partners represent a wide array of corporate entities that span across the online and in-store categories and include Cornerstone Brands, the parent company of Ballard Designs, Frontgate, Garnet Hill and many others, Expedia, HomeGoods, Old Navy, Talbots, Trump Hotel Collection and Tumi. From Expedia, which will provide targeted customers the opportunity to donate in exchange for corresponding valued travel coupons, to Old Navy, which will donate 5% of all gift card sales (up to $1 million), each partner has tailored its program to maximize donations to St. Jude.  

 “The Thanks and Giving campaign incorporates a diverse group of partners who are dedicated to our mission and able to utilize their best assets, during one of the busiest times of year, to raise funds for St. Jude,” said Richard C. Shadyac, Jr., CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude. “As the most trusted charity in America and one of the nation’s most trusted brands, we value the trust our partners have in us and appreciate their customers’ ongoing commitment to raising money for pediatric cancer treatment and research.” 

Returning partners include Kmart, CVS/pharmacy, Kay Jewelers, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Williams-Sonoma, Inc, Domino's Pizza, Ann Taylor, New York & Company,  AutoZone, Dollar General, Gymboree,  GNC, Brooks Brothers, HSN, AOL, The Melting Pot, and many more.  

The Thanks and Giving campaign launches each year with heartwarming television spots featuring stars of stage, screen and sports arenas. This year, Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Robin Williams, Dwyane Wade, Shaun White, George Lopez, Luis Fonsi and Angelica Vale will star, alongside Marlo Thomas and St. Jude patients, in spots that will air across broadcast, Hispanic and cable networks in English and Spanish. A 60-second movie trailer will be featured in Regal, AMC and Cinemark theaters and other movie screens nationwide, as well as on American Airlines and Delta Air Lines flights.  The St. Jude Thanks and Giving celebrities will also appear in online banner ads. Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum recorded special radio messages that will be heard on more than 200 stations in the United States.

The Thanks and Giving initiative was created in 2004 by Marlo Thomas and her siblings Terre and Tony Thomas, children of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, to build awareness and raise funds for St. Jude during a season that exemplifies thanks and giving to so many.  The funds raised by the campaign impact the lives of children in communities across the country. Consumers are asked to shop at companies where the St. Jude Thanks and Giving green magnifying glass logo is displayed; donate online at www.stjude.org, or purchase specialty merchandise created by the partners to support the campaign.  A list of fundraising partners is available at www.stjude.org or call 1-800-4STJUDE (1-800-478-5833); or in Spanish by logging onto www.dargracias.org or calling by 1-800-278-5833.

Customers are encouraged to participate by:

·         Purchasing specialty merchandise at participating partners to benefit 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. In 2010, St. Jude was ranked the most trusted charity in the nation in a public survey conducted by Harris Interactive, a highly respected international polling and research firm. St. Jude was also named the nation's top children's cancer hospital in the 2010-11 Best Children's Hospitals rankings published by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, go to www.stjude.org and follow St. Jude on www.facebook.com/stjude and www.twitter.com/stjude.