Philadelphia, PA – Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope, an innovative year-round national goodwill program benefiting children and families, is teaming up for the second year in a row with Jon Bon Jovi, one of the most popular and legendary names in the entertainment industry, to bring much needed attention and funds to four important Philadelphia charities this year. For 2005, Samsung and Jon Bon Jovi are making significant donations to each of the following charities: The Police Athletic League ($25,000), 2nd Floor Youth Helpline ($50,000), Action Aids ($25,000), Inn Dwelling ($25,000). The announcement was made at a joint press conference held today at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia.
“Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope has always aligned itself with world-renown superstars to help children in need, and we are honored to have Jon Bon Jovi, a superstar of both music and of giving, work with us for another year to help benefit our ongoing efforts,” said Peter Weedfald, Sr. Vice President of Samsung Electronics America, Inc. “As the official musician of Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope, Jon Bon Jovi helps us raise funds and awareness for the important work being accomplished by all of our umbrella charities.”
"When I bought an Arena Football Team, the Philadelphia Soul, it was very important to me that every guy who came through that door understood that it was important to win on the field, but I wanted to make a difference in the community, “ said Jon Bon Jovi. “One by one, I want my guys to become those role models for those kids. I’m proud to be a part of Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope knowing funds Samsung donates allows us at the Soul to fulfill our vision and role in the Philadelphia community.”
The four Philadelphia charities include:
ActionAIDS - Action AIDS is Pennsylvania's largest AIDS service organization currently serving over 3,500 individuals and 150 families living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition, they educate over 15,000 youth and adults in diverse communities throughout the Philadelphia region. The number of friends served and educated is growing every day and they continually reach out to more people in need. 13 % of their funds went to administrative/fundraising costs. www.actionaids.org
2nd Floor - 2nd Floor Youth Helpline is an easily accessible free telephone helpline for children and adolescents to speak with a trained listener about day-to-day issues of concern. Their mission is to provide children and youth with immediate comfort, guidance and assistance, encourage discussion with parents or trusted adults, provide information and referrals to appropriate service providers and provide a resource to the Philadelphia community. They are currently based in Monmouth County, NJ and funding will assist them expand their services into Philadelphia. www.2ndfloor.org
Inn Dwelling - Inn Dwelling's mission is to help families who have been homeless become self-sufficient, by teaching them the importance of a steady job, financial responsibility and positive support. They help these mothers and children purchase homes at the end of their three-year stay at Inn Dwelling.
They also have a group of kids, 8th through 12th grade, that are from all over the city who are recommended by counselors as bright, but at risk youth. These kids are enrolled in the program that fosters positive self-images, but also concentrates highly on academics. They have graduates from their programs that have continued their education and received full scholarships to universities such as DePaul University, Temple, LaSalle, Drexel and Villanova. This organization has computers from the early 90s and furniture that could fall apart at any moment, however, this organization has so much heart and they care so much about these kids. (No website at this time)
Police Athletic League (PAL) - PAL offers young people alternatives to the temptations of the street. PAL provides ideal environments to keep girls and boys active, enthusiastic and busy through a wide array of supervised recreational and educational programs designed to cultivate self-esteem, leadership and character. 24 PAL centers provide safe havens in which 26,000 boys and girls ages 6-18 participate. All PAL programs are available free of charge and are supervised by on-duty Philadelphia Police Officers who are trained in youth activities. www.phillypal.com
Samsung’s Four Seasons Of Hope is orchestrating efforts to drive donations to the charities of four sports legends with the help of four national retail partners including, golf’s Arnold Palmer (The Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women) and Comp USA, football’s Boomer Esiason (The Boomer Esiason Foundation) and Sears, baseball’s Joe Torre (The Joe Torre Safe-At-Home Foundation) and Circuit City and basketball’s Magic Johnson (The Magic Johnson Foundation) with Best Buy. Legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi is Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope’s official musician.
For more information about Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope, please visit our website at www.fourseasonsofhope.com.
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, information systems and telecommunications products. The SEA organization oversees the North American operations of Samsung’s Consumer Electronics Division, Information Technology Division, Samsung Telecommunications America, Samsung Electronics Canada and Samsung Electronics Mexico. Please visit www.samsung.com for more information.
About Samsung Electronics SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologieswith 2003 parent company sales of US$36.4 billion and net income of US$5.0 billion. Employing approximately 88,000 people in 89 offices in 46 countries, the company consists of six main business units: Corporate Technology Operations, Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest producer of color monitors, color TVs,memory chips, TFT-LCDs and VCRs.
About Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is one of the world's most renowned and popular performers. Together with his band, Bon Jovi have sold more than 100 million records and performed more than 2,200 concerts in 50 countries for over 32 million fans. Their latest effort, 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong…” is a 4cd/1dvd “think outside the box set” featuring a wealth of never-before-heard music released to celebrate two milestones: the 20th anniversary of the band’s debut album and reaching the 100 million sales mark. The band’s ninth studio album of original material is slated for a Spring 2005 release. As an actor, Jon has appeared in television and movies, most recently completing the lead role in ‘National Lampoon’s The Trouble With Frank.’ With his purchase of an AFL team, Jon is a hands-on co-owner, deeply involved and committed to the success of the team both on and off the field, guiding the Soul’s efforts to become a vital asset to the community of Philadelphia in which they play. For more information, please visit http://www.bonjovi.com.
About The Soul
The Philadelphia Soul was the 18th team to join the Arena Football League and the second expansion team (three total) announced for the 2004 season. Co-owners of the team include rock-'n-roll icon and actor Jon Bon Jovi and Philadelphia real estate developer Craig A. Spencer. Bon Jovi bandmate, Richie Sambora, is a member of the ownership group, and former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Ron Jaworski, serves as team president. The Soul welcomed a League high 134,928 fans through the turnstiles to their eight homes games this season for an average of 16,866 fans per game in 2004. During the 2004 off-season, the Soul signed All-Arena QB Tony Graziani to the richest contract in AFL history. The team plays its eight home games at the Wachovia Center.
