NEW YORK, March 3, 2009 — AOL announced today that its customers helped save the lives of children by generously donating to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital(R) through its fifth-annual Thanks and Giving(R) campaign. AOL, whose users doubled the amount of money they donated year over year, mounted an extensive promotional campaign across its network of sites, generating more than 467 million media, editorial and promotional impressions during the Thanks and Giving campaign, a national awareness and fundraising initiative for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital that runs throughout the holiday season. AOL contributed a total of $1.5 million to St. Jude in donations from AOL users, AOL employees, company matching grants, as well as in-kind promotions and ads on the AOL network.
Among AOL's efforts:
-- A new website, Nice One! Stories of Thanks and Giving, that provided a platform for heartwarming stories about human kindness, stories about St. Jude patients, and ways to support the hospital. In its first month, the site generated more than 1.6 million page views.
-- Cross-promotions on a variety of popular AOL MediaGlow sites, including: Moviefone, AOL Music, AOL Television, AOL Games, AOL Sports, AOL Holiday, AOL Living, and WalletPop.
-- A St. Jude rich media takeover of the AOL homepage on Dec. 25.
-- St. Jude banner ads across the AOL network and on AOL Mail.
-- A special St. Jude AIM Buddy icon.
-- An interactive profile for St. Jude on AOL's social media network Bebo.
"Although we are in a recession, St. Jude could still count on AOL and its users to support the Thanks and Giving campaign," said Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "Since no child is ever turned away for a family's inability to pay at St. Jude, AOL's support was needed this year more than ever and contributed to the success of Thanks and Giving."





