Youth Philanthropy at Relay for Life

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) Santa Monica, CA - July 8, 2010 - Pint-sized activists use KooDooZ to raise awareness and funds for the Relay For Life. 

With the support of the former Mayor of Santa Monica, Nathaniel Trives and the American Cancer Society, KooDooZ, a “cause-based” social networking site for kids, authored a Relay For Life challenge designed to give youth the tools they need to become true agents of change.   Sponsoring a young activist is one way the community can show their support for both the cause and the kid.  KooDooZ hopes to raise awareness for the importance of empowering our nation's youngest generation.  Currently dubbed "homelanders" as a result of growing-up in a time of great public urgency and emergency, today's kids are sited by generation-experts as naturally altruistic and conscious of world events.  Some, like Howard Scales (the first kid to officially take on the KooDooZ challenge), is savvy to the fact that 1-in-4 deaths in the U.S. is directly related to cancer, and that on average, 36 youth are diagnosed with cancer every day in the United States.    As a fun-filled overnight event, the Relay For Life serves as an ideal backdrop for youth philanthropy where kids can camp-out, create unique arts & crafts, dance and take turns walking around a track relay-style to raise funds to fight cancer.  “The value of each dollar we put into the event is multiplied many times by the hundreds of volunteer hours and the extraordinary fundraising efforts put forth by other businesses and individuals,” said Amanda Manning, Senior Relay For Life Manager with the American Cancer Society. “The success of this event ensures that basic cancer research, education programs, advocacy efforts and services for cancer patients and their families can be delivered.”   “This is a fight we’re all in together,” said Lee Fox, founder of KooDooZ. “Young activists have long been the vehicle for change in this country. KooDooZ seeks to cultivate the next generation of social entrepreneurs by unleashing their creativity and ingenuity in conjunction with a cause that is meaningful to them.”   On Saturday, July 10^th, 2010 at the Santa Monica College campus, KooDooZ will set-up Mr Trives' camp with a variety of kid-friendly activities. 100 pounds of craft materials are being generously donated by Trash For Teaching so that participants can make ornaments in the names of their loved ones.  Additionally, 2 living trees are on loan from the Living Christmas Company, in this way, those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, those who face cancer will be supported, and the hope can be shared that one day cancer will be eliminated.    About KooDooZ: KooDooZ ("Kü - Düz") is a "cause-based" social networking site designed to cultivate youth social entrepreneurs by “challenging” them to achieve specific philanthropic goals. In partnership with nonprofits, educators and profit-for-purpose organizations, each challenge is authored with easy-to-follow methodologies and anticipated times to complete. By sharing these challenges with friends and family, kids can virally garner support for the causes they care about most and earn credit towards the President’s Service Award for those tasks that meet volunteerism, community service and service learning standards. For more information, visit www.KooDooZ.com   About Relay For Life: The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/california or www.cancer.org  

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