For Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Jennifer Aniston, Marlo Thomas, Sofia Vergara, Drew Barrymore and other St. Jude Celebrity Ambassadors will unite for the 30 Days #forStJude social media campaign to help raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
This year’s theme for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is “Let’s cure childhood cancer. Together.” With togetherness in mind, an all-star lineup of more than 50 celebrities will join Aniston, Vergara and Barrymore to take part in 30 Days #forStJude including: Luis Fonsi, Michael Strahan, Mark Wahlberg, Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber, Kate Beckinsale, Lucy Hale, Shaun White, JoJo Siwa, Halima Aden, Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Ashley Greene, Jennifer Morrison, Lance Bass, Kathryn Newton, Nick Swisher, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Claire Holt, Zac Posen, Jessica Szohr, Dave Annable, Odette Annable, Charlie Weber, Bryan Greenberg, Geoff Stults, Parker Young and Elizabeth Olsen among others.
JoJo Siwa with St. Jude patient Alana in 2019
Working with celebrities over the decades to raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is rooted in the DNA of St. Jude. Founder Danny Thomas – the late acclaimed entertainer and humanitarian – sought help from his Hollywood connections more than 60 years ago to make his dream of building St. Jude to cure childhood cancer a reality. He envisioned a hospital that would accept children from all backgrounds; a hospital where families would never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food because Danny believed all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
“St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital exists because of the compassion of others. We’re thankful for the millions of supporters and celebrity ambassadors who are uniting during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to help ensure the lifesaving work of St. Jude continues,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Because of community and partner support, St. Jude has the resources to recruit world-renowned scientists and physicians, offer a home away from home for patient families from every part of the globe, never bill a family, and be a bastion of social justice and health equity for the most vulnerable among us—children. Cancer doesn’t stop, and neither will St. Jude.”
The nearly two dozen corporate partners supporting St. Jude during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month include: AmazonSmile, Varsity, CARS, Shaw Floors, ARS, Publisher’s Clearing House, Nora Fleming, Cox Automotive, Coton Colors, My Salon Suite, Pollo Campero, Ocean Spray, Blackhawk, Denny’s, ESPCo, Loopy Cases, Maglite, Olivela, Pawkey Dogs, Shoe Carnival and Vionic.
Throughout September, there will be additional ways to get involved with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month:
- State of Childhood Cancer streaming event: At 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 9, Willie Geist, host of NBC’s Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist and co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, will moderate this donor event. Participants will hear from a patient family who found hope at St. Jude and get the latest developments from Charles Roberts, MD, PhD, executive vice president and director of the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Richard C. Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.
- The virtual St. Jude Walk/Run presented by National Series sponsor Target will take place Saturday, Sept. 26. Participants are encouraged to walk, run and fundraise at their own pace. A mobile app is available in the Apple app store and on Google Play, so participants can access augmented reality activities, attend the opening ceremony, and tour St. Jude. Register as an individual or team at stjude.org/walkrun.
- PAWS for St. Jude presents an all-new opportunity to team up with a canine friend from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during National Dog Week from Sept. 20-26. St. Jude pet therapy dogs Huckleberry and Puggle have their own fundraising pages, so participants to join one of their teams, grab a leash, and walk their own dogs to make a PAWSitive difference for the kids of St. Jude.
- St. Jude Block Party on Wednesday, Sept. 30, hosted by Grammy-nominated musician MAJOR., will feature step teams from undergraduate and graduate chapters of fraternities and sororities, including the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s collaborative of historically Black Greek-letter fraternities and sororities known as the Divine Nine.
For more information, visit stjude.org.
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% to more than 80% since the hospital opened in 1962. St. Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude 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. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.
Media Contacts:
Jennifer Godwin
ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Jennifer.Godwin@stjude.org
(901)275-5596