NEW YORK (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) November 24, 2008 -- AOL announced the launch of "Nice One! Stories of Thanks and Giving," http://niceone.aol.com, a new site that gathers stories of nice things people have done from the world of entertainment, sports and everyday life, and encourages users to submit their own stories. The site, developed in partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®, is part of a broad effort by AOL to support the hospital's fifth annual Thanks and Giving^® campaign.

AOL's dedication to this holiday campaign helps ensure that St. Jude can continue the lifesaving research and care that has brought hope to so many families.

Nice One! highlights real-life stories to help promote the spirit of giving during the holiday season, such as the story of a family who tipped their struggling waitress $10,000, and the story of a professional basketball coach who helped a 13 year-old sing the national anthem when she forgot the words. The site also features original content from St. Jude, including patient stories, videos and other resources, as well as information on how to donate directly to St. Jude.

"St. Jude is an amazing hospital that is doing incredible work to find treatment and cures for children suffering some of the most deadly diseases known to man. And we're proud to support their efforts by leveraging AOL's vast network to raise awareness and funds during the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign," said AOL Chairman and CEO Randy Falco. "I'm particularly proud of the Nice One! site, which offers fresh, compelling content and puts users in the mood for giving. We hope that people will be inspired and share Nice One! with their friends and family, creating greater awareness for St. Jude this holiday season."

"The children of St. Jude, their Moms and Dads and I are thrilled to once again have AOL's support for our Thanks and Giving campaign," said Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director for St. Jude. "AOL's dedication to this holiday campaign helps ensure that St. Jude can continue the lifesaving research and care that has brought hope to so many families."

Other planned St. Jude programming and promotions on AOL include:

• AOL Shopping, http://shopping.aol.com, will feature "Gifts that Give Back" from St. Jude.
• AOL's personal finance site WalletPop, http://www.walletpop.com/, will feature a year-end charitable giving guide and information on giving to St. Jude.
• Parent Dish, http://www.parentdish.com/, will blog about a St. Jude patient family.
• AOL Health, http://health.aol.com, will show users just how far their contributions can go at the hospital.
• AIM Programming areas, http://www.aim.com, and People Connection will promote the St. Jude Buddy icon and additional St. Jude resources.
• Holiday-themed AOL Radio stations will run St. Jude PSA spots.
• AOL's social media network Bebo, http://www.bebo.com, will feature an interactive St. Jude profile where users can send get-well wishes to others.
• MapQuest, http://www.mapquest.com, will feature St. Jude promotions on its Home, Maps and Directions main pages.

In addition, AOL plans to host several innovative St. Jude promotions -- homepage takeovers on AOL.com, a customized skin, integrated e-mail promotions, banners and more – that leverage AOL's digital advertising business, Platform-A, http://www.platform-a.com.

About 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. For more information, please visit www.stjude.org.

About Thanks and Giving

The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Thanks and Giving national campaign is an unprecedented union of celebrities, media, retail and corporate partners that ask consumers to "Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not." 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. Funds raised by the campaign support the lifesaving work of St. Jude – to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. St. Jude impacts the lives of children in communities across the country. Consumers are asked to shop at companies where the St. Jude green magnifying glass logo is displayed; donate online at www.stjude.org, where a list of fund-raising partners is available, or call 1-800-4STJUDE.

About AOL

AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.

 

Source:PR Web Press Release