John Rich & Friends Concert

John Rich, Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker, Jeff Foxworthy and Big & Rich will perform at the St. Jude Presents John Rich & Friends concert on June 5 at the Cannon Center in Memphis, Tenn.

The event will serve as the first-ever concert kick off for the 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic. Window World and First Tennessee Bank will serve as presenting sponsors for the event. This year, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital celebrates its 50th anniversary.

“The John Rich & Friends concert is an incredible way for us to kick off this year’s FedEx St. Jude Classic and celebrate the 50th anniversary of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“This year’s tournament is about so much more than golf. We’ve planned a full week of events for our supporters to enjoy while also helping St. Jude continue its mission of finding cures and saving children.”

St. Jude patient Ben is especially looking forward to the concert. In 2011, on the day Ben, 19, was admitted to St. Jude. Rich made a special appearance at the hospital and spent time with Ben that day and invited him to attend a concert when he was feeling better. Ben is just one of the many patients who have been touched by Rich in his 15 years of dedication to St. Jude.

“St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital holds a very special place in my heart, that’s why I’m excited to kick off the FedEx St. Jude Classic with the John Rich & Friends concert,” said Rich. “I don’t know how you could spend your time any better on this earth than to support something like St. Jude. It’s truly God’s work – taking care of the babies.”

The FedEx St. Jude Classic has raised more than $25 million to help St. Jude continue its mission of finding cures and saving children. In addition to the concert, other special events include the Danny Thomas Pro-Am, Championship Pro-Am, Michelob Ultra Party Tent, a fun-filled Kid Zone and the Super T concert “after party.”

Window World, America’s leading replacement window and home remodeling company, is the national presenting sponsor and plays an important role in the success of the St. Jude Presents John Rich & Friends concert.

Window World Cares, the charitable foundation of Window World, has raised more than $2.3 million in support of St. Jude and also hosts a holiday party each December for the patients and their families. In 2010, St. Jude named Window World the New Corporate Partner of the Year.

First Tennessee Bank is the Mid-South presenting sponsor for the concert and shares a long history with St. Jude over the past 50 years.

Raytheon Mathcounts Champion Chad Qian

Chad Qian of Carmel, Ind., won the 2012 Raytheon Mathcounts National Competition Friday at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort after an intense final competition before a packed live and webcast audience.

This year’s winning Mathlete answered the following math problem to be crowned national champion of this year’s competition:

Question: A bag of coins contains only pennies, nickels and dimes with at least five of each. How many different combined values are possible if five coins are selected at random?

Answer:  21 (values)

The 8th grader from Sycamore School competed against more than 200 other middle school students in the prestigious academic event. The best and brightest middle school mathematics students engaged in a multi-day competition that included a written exam and culminated in the lightning speed Countdown Round.

Chad Qian was victorious in the intense, one-on-one Countdown Round, in which the top 12 Mathletes vied for the title of this year’s Raytheon Mathcounts National Champion.

Ashwin Sah of Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded the second-place individual title with Allen Liu of Penfield, N.Y., and Kevin Sun of Lisle, Ill., advancing to the semifinals.

In the team competition, Massachusetts captured the title of National Team Champion. Team members include Niket Gowravaram of Acton, Mass.; James Lin of Winchester, Mass.; Matt Lipman of Lexington, Mass.; Alec Sun of Lexington, Mass.; and coach, Josh Frost of Lexington, Mass. The Illinois team took second place, and the Washington team placed third.

Raytheon is the title sponsor of the Raytheon Mathcounts National Competition through 2014. The competition sponsorship is one of the centerpieces of Raytheon’s MathMovesU initiative, which seeks to elevate students’ interest in math and science education through hands-on, interactive activities.

Raytheon is a technology company specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world.

In the picture above: Chad Qian (CENTER), an 8th grader from Carmel, Ind., is crowned the nation’s middle school math champion at the 2012 Raytheon Mathcounts National Competition in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., May 11, by Mathcounts Executive Director Lou DiGioia (LEFT) and Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson (RIGHT).

Jennifer Connelly

Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Connelly is joining Save the Children as an Artist Ambassador to advocate for children in need in the United States and around the world, the global humanitarian agency announced Friday at its fourth biennial Celebration of Hope charity event in Greenwich, Conn.

“I’m honored to be an Artist Ambassador for Save the Children, working to ensure all children receive an equal start in life. An investment in our children is an investment in our future,” said Jennifer Connelly, actress and mother of three. “As a mom, I welcome this opportunity to help other moms around the world achieve the dreams they have for their children.”

The dynamic duo of the Fourth Hour of TODAY, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, co-hosted the evening benefit, which was sponsored by Save the Children’s Greenwich and Westchester Leadership Councils. This year’s event will benefit Save the Children’s early childhood education programs in the United States and globally.

During the event, Save the Children president and CEO Carolyn Miles presented the Humanitarian Award to Andrea Collins, Save the Children Trustee, and the Corporate Leadership Award to Richard Robinson, Scholastic chairman of the Board, president and CEO.

Save the Children is a leading, independent organization that strives to create lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world.

Selena Gomez

Make-A-Wish kid Ella, 7, from Houston, Texas, was treated to a star-studded afternoon when her wish to meet her favorite artist, Selena Gomez, was granted in Los Angeles.

Ella became a big fan of the pop star after receiving a Selena Gomez and The Scene CD for her birthday. A video of wish kid Ella meeting Selena Gomez debuted Tuesday, May 1, on http://a.wish.org/SelenaWish.

Ella, who has battled Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia for more than two years, spent a fun-filled afternoon with Selena chatting, taking photos and playing “Kinect: Disneyland Adventures” on Kinect for Xbox 360. The wish kid gushed that the afternoon with Selena was the best day of her life.

“Ella and her family enjoyed every minute of her afternoon play date with Selena Gomez,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish America president and chief executive officer. “I speak for Ella, her family and Make-A-Wish when I express my gratitude to Selena for taking the time out of her busy schedule to grant the wish of such a special and full of life little girl.”

“When you’re a parent and you have a child who has cancer, it just feels like the meanness of the world is coming down and slapping you in the face,” said Ella’s father, Chris. “When the folks from Make-A-Wish told us that she would be able to have a wish, it just felt like the whole world was righting some sort of wrong.”

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Young America Crib

Young America, Stanley Furniture’s infant and youth line, gifted its American-made cribs to 250 moms-to-be during a special Million Dollar Baby Shower episode of CBS’ national daytime program The Talk, which aired Friday at 2 p.m. ET.

The Talk’s 2012 baby shower extravaganza occurred just three days after the birth of co-host Sharon Osbourne’s first grandchild, so the show’s ladies were ready to celebrate with a series of mom-oriented giveaways for their studio audience.

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Each of the moms who attended the Million Dollar Baby Shower episode taping may select their favorite Young America crib for their new baby, and the brand has announced that two other lucky moms will have the chance to win their own Young America crib through online giveaways.

Viewers of The Talk can enter to win a Young America crib by visiting www.thetalk.com and scrolling down to the Giveaways section of the site. To be eligible for The Talk’s online giveaway, entries must be submitted before 12 p.m. ET on Monday April 30, 2012.

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Young America is also hosting the Great Young America Crib Giveaway on its Facebook page, which runs through July 27, 2012. One grand prizewinner will be given the Young America crib of her choice, and 10 secondary winners will receive a $250 coupon to use when purchasing Young America products at a participating Young America Signature Shop or at www.youngamerica.com.

To enter the Young America giveaway, consumers need to “Like” the brand on Facebook and complete the entry form found under the “Win a Crib” Facebook tab at www.facebook.com/youngamericafurniture.

March for Babies

Celebrities from music, film, television, and sports are lending their star power to bring greater attention to the annual March for Babies, the March of Dimes premier fundraising event that takes place in 900 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico this coming weekend.

March for Babies supports research and community-based programs that help moms have full-term, healthy babies. The event has been held annually since 1970, and it has raised a combined total of $2 billion to help all babies get a healthy start in life. The goal for this year’s event is to raise more than $110 million.

“Funds raised at March for Babies support our efforts to give all babies a healthy start in life. We also fund programs to prevent preterm birth – babies born too soon,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes.

“More than 7 million people, including celebrities, sports stars, community leaders and families of babies born prematurely are involved in March for Babies as volunteers, sponsors and participants. Participants can either walk as an individual or join a team with co-workers, family or friends by visiting marchforbabies.org.”

The March of Dimes is a leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

In the picture above: March of Dimes National Ambassador Kieran Wittstruck, and FedEx racer Denny Hamlin.

KidZania

Children’s edutainment company KidZania has unveiled the Greener World Pledge, a formal online commitment to a healthier planet – uniting the world’s children.

The Pledge was created using ideas submitted by kids from around the globe and is a key component of KidZ for a Greener World campaign, a multi-month, global celebration to amplify the importance of environmental stewardship and encourage kids to imagine, create, and unite for a Greener World.

KidZ for a Greener World, which launched on April 1, was born from the company’s mission to help kids create a better world. The program includes activities at KidZania’s 9 edutainment theme parks across the globe and rallies around two global celebrations: Earth Day (April 22) and World Environment Day (June 5). KidZania will collect pledge signatures in-park and online until June 5, when the global tally will be announced.

KidZania believes that children can have a positive impact on the Earth no matter their age. It invites kids to share their thoughts on how to take care of the earth. The Greener World Pledge represents a collection of the most practical and achievable ideas culled from kids from around the world, including: pick up stray trash, use both sides of the paper, turn off lights, and take shorter showers, among others.

“KidZ for a Greener World is helping to spark a global conversation among kids about the health of our planet, which transcends geographic boundaries and cultures,” said Xavier Lopez Ancona, president and founder of KidZania. “By signing the Greener World Pledge, we believe children will be inspired to make conscientious choices everyday to protect the world around them.”

KidZania combines role playing with real life experience in a kid-sized city. From police officer to dentist to restaurateur, each KidZania offers nearly 100 role-playing activities in more than 60 establishments including a hospital, fire station, bank, radio station and more. KidZania’s kid-centric city experience is designed to educate, inspire and entertain 4- to 14-year olds.

KidZania, Inc., headquartered in Mexico, is a privately held company. The first KidZania opened in Mexico City in 1999 and to date it says more than 20 million kids and parents have visited the nine KidZania parks globally. The trajectory continues with 13 facilities in development in the United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, Chile, Cairo and Thailand, among other locations.

Ruckus Reader

Ruckus Media Group, a children’s digital media company, has announced the release of the Ruckus Reader, a learning program for the iPad featuring digital storybooks that provides parents with personalized feedback on their child’s reading experience.

It is designed to help young children practice reading skills and develop a habit of reading with characters they love. Moreover, it addresses the needs of parents and caregivers with weekly Reader Meter e-mail reports and an online dashboard that provides details of their child’s progress.

“With children gravitating to interactive technologies and content at an early age, it is critical to embed reading fundamentals in these new formats,” said Rick Richter, CEO, Ruckus Media Group.

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The Ruckus Reader is a library of mobile apps to deliver a safe and interactive learning environment filled with iReaders (digital storybook titles), e-Readers (e-books), vidReaders (narrated video books) and activities for children to enjoy without leaving the library.

Ruckus iReaders feature characters such as Hasbro’s MY LITTLE PONY and TRANSFORMERS brands and The Wiggles, as well as activities designed to appeal to the creative learner, the science lover, the mathematician and the music enthusiast and more with content from Crayola, SeaWorld, Dino Dan, Cyberchase and VeggieTales.

Developed by educational experts, the Ruckus Reader is designed to match age-appropriate standards determined by the Common Core State Standards, says the company.

The Ruckus Reader App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

Curious George at the Zoo

Global education company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) released Thursday Curious George at the Zoo, a learning app for preschool-aged children, designed to provide a fun, interactive experience while building the skills important for long-term success.

Developed in line with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework, the app extends reasoning skills across a variety of core areas for kids ages two through six.

Curious George at the Zoo for the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is available for free in the App Store through May 1. After this promotional period, it will be available for $1.99.

Within Curious George at the Zoo, kids embrace George’s curious spirit by exploring the zoo, helping to wake, feed and clean the animals. Along the way, kids learn about a variety of animals native to different parts of the world and earn virtual “stickers” for caring for the animals correctly.

As they play, children engage with additional features such as educational videos about each animal, mini games and an interactive photo album that lets players add George to their pictures.

“We know that early childhood is the most important phase for overall development. HMH created this app with that in mind, providing engaged learning for young children and giving them a fun way to improve skills like memory development, sorting ability, and reasoning,” said Bethlam Forsa, executive VP, Global Product and Content Development at HMH.

The app touches on many domains in the Head Start Framework, which outlines the developmental building blocks for three to five year olds that are most important for school readiness and continued achievement.

With a focus on areas such as language development, literacy, math, science, social and emotional development, and creative arts, the app is designed to develop skills vital for future success.

Online, parents and caregivers can find a convenient Learning Guide that will take them through the educational aspects of the game and provide supplementary material to increase the value children get out of the app, including fun activities and ways to play together.

Curious George is one of the most iconic children’s book characters, with over seventy million books in print worldwide. Curious George, the Emmy-Award winning television program, airs daily on PBS stations nationwide (U.S.).

National Children's Alliance

Throughout the month of April, National Children’s Alliance (NCA) and its thousands of members and supporters across the U.S. are bringing much needed attention to the issue of child abuse intervention and prevention as the country recognizes National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

According to NCA, child abuse is a national tragedy and a silent killer warranting the attention of Federal and state governments, as well as the general public.

In 2010 alone, it says, an estimated 695,000 children were victims of abuse, with an estimated of 1,560 children dying from abuse in this same year. However, due to inconsistent reporting, it is estimated that this number may be even higher.

NCA, along with the over 750 children’s advocacy centers across the country that comprise its membership, is calling on local communities to speak up for these victims and to act on their behalf to prevent further tragedy.

As the national organization and accrediting body for children’s advocacy centers across the country, National Children’s Alliance recognizes the importance of awareness raising and community education surrounding the subject of child abuse.

In an effort to share best practices and recognize those organizations stepping up on behalf of children, National Children’s Alliance will highlight National Child Abuse Prevention Month efforts during the month of April on a special web page dedicated to the cause – www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/NationalChildAbusePreventionMonth_LocalInitiatives.

“We ask our fellow citizens to educate themselves on the signs of abuse and help call attention to this national issue by supporting local child abuse intervention and prevention organizations throughout the month of April and year-round,” said Teresa Huizar, executive director of NCA.