Television Shows Promote Volunteering
September 29, 2009: Television viewers will notice the week of October 19 – 25 that their favorite characters and actors are promoting volunteerism to a level never before seen in the entertainment industry.
The effort is part of a multi-year initiative from the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) titled "I Participate," which will encourage Americans to embrace a new way of thinking about service and aims to persuade millions of people to volunteer regularly.
"We are trying to broaden the collective national conversation about service," said EIF's President and CEO Lisa Paulsen. Added supporter and Tony-Award-Winning Actress Bernadette Peters, "I think it's important to help people and causes that need our help. The 'I Participate' campaign will ultimately involve all segments of the entertainment community including film studios, the recording industry, Broadway and others."
More than 70 daytime and primetime television shows on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and additional networks will spotlight service through scripted programming, segments and public service announcements with inspirational messages and storylines about volunteerism.
"We are grateful to EIF for choosing service as the centerpiece for this long-term campaign," said MENTOR's Chief Administrative Officer Tonya Wiley. "We know that Mentoring Partnerships and mentoring programs across the country will be able to use these extremely visible opportunities to recruit mentors from an even broader pool. The most wonderful outcome, of course, will be to see an increase in the number of children who are matched with caring adults as a result of EIF's commitment."
To date, EIF has received formal support for "I Participate" from the television networks, AARP, Medco Health Solutions, Major League Baseball and UnitedHealthcare. Celebrities participating in the recent campaign launch in New York City were Ashton Kutcher, Tyler Perry, Randy Jackson, Christine Baranski, Fran Drescher, Sway Calloway, Kenneth Cole, Rocco DiSpirito, Kelley Menighan Hensley, Bernadette Peters, Cameron Mathison, Tim Daly, Lee Ann Womack, Constantine Maroulis, Jeff Francoeur and Al Leiter.
EIF is the leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, having distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues. For more information about "I Participate," visit www.iparticipate.org.
Home | MEDIA CORNER | CAREERS | Donate/Support Us | SITE MAP | Contact Us | Mentor Store
© 2010 MENTOR | Questions? Problems with the site? | Privacy Policy | Reprint Our Articles