Ridgefield Park, NJ - Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a world leader in digital convergence products, is bringing together four of the world's greatest sports legends -- golf's Arnold Palmer, football's Boomer Esiason, baseball's Joe Torre and basketball's Magic Johnson -- for a unique, new national and retail program that aims to improve the quality of life for children and their families who face major challenges. "Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope" is a goodwill program that centers its efforts on raising awareness and funds for four very special charities endorsed (and in many cases headed) by the athletes themselves: Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children & Women, Boomer Esiason Foundation, The Joe Torre Family Foundation, and The Magic Johnson Foundation.
The athletes will make special appearances for Samsung all year long and will be seen in a major national Samsung print campaign in conjunction with national retailers that will spotlight the charities involved. The program launches May 16 with baseball and football advertising campaigns.
Four major national retailers have joined "Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope" as retail partners. The retailers-Best Buy for basketball, Sears for football, CompUSA for golf and Radio Shack for baseball-will encourage their customers to donate to the program by offering special prizes such as a trip to the Super Bowl or a chance to shoot hoops with Magic Johnson. The retailers will tie a variety of sales promotions to "Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope," making donations to the cause when customers purchase specified products.
Each athlete joined "Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope" program because of the unique, high-level national exposure the campaign offers their charities. In planning the program, Samsung sought out athletes that combine a proven on-field record with a commitment to local communities and charities.
"With 'Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope,' Samsung aims to impact the lives of the children and families served by the communities we do business in," said Peter Weedfald, Vice President, Strategic Marketing & New Media, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. "The combination of athletes of this caliber with the causes they support makes this the only program of its kind. We're glad for the opportunity to give something back."
The selected athletes and their respective charities are:
- Arnold Palmer & Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children & Women. Located in Orlando, Florida, the hospital is the only hospital in the southeast - and one of only six in the nation - dedicated to serving the unique needs of children and women. Samsung will provide technology products including computers and TVs for the children's hospital, as well as the new women and infant's hospital under construction.
- Boomer Esiason & the Boomer Esiason Foundation to Benefit Cystic Fibrosis. Created by Boomer Esiason and his wife in 1993 after their son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, the foundation works to raise money to find a cure for the genetic disease. To date, more than $12 million has been raised for the cause. Samsung will donate money to the foundation during Super Bowl week.
- Joe Torre & Joe Torre Family Foundation. In conjunction with "Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope," Joe Torre is launching a new charity dedicated to supporting women and children exposed to domestic violence. This year's beneficiary will be the Center Against Domestic Violence based in New York City.
- Magic Johnson & The Magic Johnson Foundation. Founded by Magic Johnson following his retirement from the NBA in 1991, the foundation aims to improve the lives of inner-city children. Under the aegis of "Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope," Samsung will support technology centers for inner-city youths, and fund scholarship programs and social and cultural programs.
"The most important part of my career was the platform it provided me to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis," said Boomer Esiason. "'Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope' will bring much-needed attention to this disease." Added Arnold Palmer, "As a longtime Orlando resident, I know first hand the world-class care that is given to each child and family at Arnold Palmer for Children & Women. Samsung will bring added technology to the children's hospital and the new women and infant's wing being built."
Magic Johnson expressed his excitement that the campaign will bring technology to the inner city, where many youths do not currently have access to computers. "Samsung immediately understood the long-term value of this approach," Johnson said. "The Magic Johnson Foundation wants to work with causes that understand and embrace our mission. Samsung does."
For Joe Torre's part, "Samsung's Four Season's of Hope" campaign dovetailed with his plans for a new foundation in the wake of the September 11 attacks. "We have decided to launch our new foundation as part of this national effort to give something back to the community,'" said Joe Torre. "Working together with the Center Against Domestic Violence, we'll help provide long-term funding to domestic violence victims. It's a huge win for everyone."
For more information about Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope, please visit our website at www.fourseasonsofhope.org.
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., markets a broad range of award-winning, advanced digital consumer electronics and information systems products. The SEA organization oversees the North American operations of Samsung Telecommunications USA, Samsung Electronics Canada and Samsung Electronics Mexico. Please visit www.samsungusa.com for more information.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, and digital convergence technology. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., with 2001 sales revenue of US $25 billion, is one of the world's top electronics companies. Samsung Electronics employs approximately 64,000 people in 89 offices in 47 countries. The company is the world's largest producer of memory chips, TFT-LCDs, CDMA mobile phones, monitors and VCRs Samsung Electronics consists of four main business units: Digital Media Network, Device Solution Network, Telecommunication Network and Digital Appliance Network Businesses. Samsung was recently ranked 42nd as one of the world's Top 100 Brands by BusinessWeek magazine.
