Colgate-Palmolive Awards Starlight Fun Centers™ to Hospitals Through Online Contest
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (February 4, 2009) -- For children who may be anticipating surgery, enduring long outpatient treatments or fighting loneliness after visiting hours have ended, Fun Centers provide a comforting break. Colgate-Palmolive is partnering once again with Starlight Children's Foundation, and this year will donate 100 Starlight Fun Centers to children's hospitals throughout the country. By providing these mobile entertainment units, hospitalized children can forget about their illnesses for a moment and enjoy games and movies right at their bedside.
To build on this initiative, Colgate will also be hosting "Show The Love," an online contest to award additional Fun Centers to this year's participating hospitals. Now through Friday, Feb. 27, residents can log onto www.colgate.com/showthelove to vote for their local, participating hospital. All participating hospitals will receive a Fun Center and the 3 hospitals that garner the most online votes will receive a second Fun Center -- doubling the fun! Starlight Fun Centers are designed to bring instant entertainment with a brand-new Nintendo Wii, DVD player, Sharp AQUOS LCD television and interactive games.
"Demand for our Fun Centers continues to grow, and especially during this difficult economic time, it is reassuring for us, for our hospital partners and most importantly, for the children and families we serve, to know that Colgate has remained steadfast in its support for the last 19 years," said Paula Van Ness, CEO of Starlight Children's Foundation.
"Colgate is committed to caring and is focused on providing families with resources that help enhance their lives," said Marie Agnes Daumas, Marketing Director, Colgate-Palmolive. "This program is a great example of how a simple click of your computer mouse can make a lasting difference. We had a tremendous amount of community response during the last two campaigns, and we hope that local communities will rally again to help their hospitals double the fun."
Colgate-Palmolive and Starlight Children's Foundation share a 19 year partnership, during which Colgate has donated 1,090 Fun Centers and more than $7.5 million to the organization in an effort to continually improve the lives of young patients and their families. This contribution includes ongoing support of numerous programs established by Starlight and extensive outreach to encourage consumers to learn more about the nonprofit organization.
Participating Hospitals
Atlanta, GA | Grady Health System |
Baltimore, MD | Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital |
Charlotte, NC | Presbyterian Hospital |
Chicago, IL | John H. Stroger, Jr., Hospital of Cook County |
Dallas, TX | Medical City Children's Hospital |
Detroit, MI | St. John's Hospital and Medical Center |
Houston, TX | Children's Cancer Hospital at |
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center | |
Los Angeles,CA | Children's Hospital Los Angeles |
Memphis, TN | Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis |
New York, NY | St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center |
Washington, DC | HSC Pediatric Center |
About Colgate-Palmolive:
Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, Elmex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, and Suavitel, as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet pet foods. For more information about Colgate's global business, visit the Company's website at www.colgate.com.
Starlight Children's Foundation:
When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. For 25 years, Starlight Children's Foundation has been dedicated to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight's programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. To learn more visit www.starlight.org.