American Idol David Archuleta Doing Something For Disaster Relief
03/03/2009
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(PR) One of the most recognizable teens in America, American Idol runner-up David Archuleta, is putting his celeb power to good use by helping teens nationwide take action around disaster relief. He will be the face of a campaign launched by DoSomething.org, one of the largest organizations for teenagers in America, and sponsored by the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation, which is dedicated to serving those who serve -- especially in times of crisis.
The new disaster relief program includes a dedicated online content section providing easy ideas and action guides for teens to take action, a weekly $500 grants program giving teens the seed money they need to start their own programs, and a Disaster Relief Bootcamp for teen leaders running disaster relief projects.
"I know as well as anyone that teenagers have the power to do something. So I'm genuinely excited about this cause and organization," says David Archuleta. "When I heard about the opportunity to get involved with DoSomething.org, I jumped at the chance. Thanks to this program, when a disaster strikes, teens will be part of the relief solution."
Do Something is no stranger to disaster relief and response. The organization was the first youth group to respond to both the Tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. After the Tsunami hit, Do Something launched the Kids Tsunami Relief Fund�the Only Fund by Kids, For Kids. Teens raised more than $450,000 and then voted online to distribute the funds to five on-the-ground projects. Similarly, in the month after Hurricane Katrina, DoSomething.org teens created the "We've Got Your Back" campaign which collected and distributed more than 60,000 backpacks stuffed with school supplies to needy students on the Gulf Coast.
"We're an organization that can activate kids on the ground quickly�because we have great reach and we have teens' trust," says CEO and Chief Old Person, Nancy Lublin. "Thanks to this program, America's teens will be ready to respond to the next major disaster."
"Through our work with Do Something, the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation hopes to encourage teens to get involved in their communities, especially in times of crisis," says Steve Caldeira, Chief Global Communications & Public Affairs Officer at Dunkin' Brands and Co-Chair of the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation. "When disaster strikes, it's important that we help repair communities in need."
For more information and resources for how teens can take action, visit www.DoSomething.org/Disasters
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