Northwestern Mutual Launches Digital Holiday Campaign to Fight Childhood Cancer

Share Unstoppable Happiness! inspired by child's original artwork, brave spirit and holiday message of hope

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Dec 03, 2012, 06:08 ET

MILWAUKEE, Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A child's inspirational artwork for a holiday card will drive awareness, donations and hope in the fight against childhood cancer as the centerpiece of a new digital holiday campaign launching today by Northwestern Mutual. The campaign, Share Unstoppable Happiness!, aims to raise up to $25,000 by Dec. 30 for Northwestern Mutual's Childhood Cancer Program nonprofit partners, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and Starlight Children's Foundation.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53665-northwestern-mutual-digital-holiday-campaign-to-fight-childhood-cancer

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121203/MM21641)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120126/CG42140LOGO)

"Unstoppable happiness is happiness that never ends all of your life," said Addison, the courageous eight-year-old from Broomfield, Colo., fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) who created the holiday card for the campaign. "I would be happy if cancer went away forever because then no one would have to go through what I'm going through."

For each "share" this digital card receives, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation will donate $1 to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and Starlight Children's Foundation. The nonprofit organizations are signature partners of Northwestern Mutual's Childhood Cancer Program, a multi-year commitment to accelerate a cure for childhood cancer and to support families battling the disease.

Ten-year-old Kevin of Sheboygan Falls, Wis., and ten-year-old Zane of Upper Marlboro, Md. – who both battled and beat childhood cancer – share their unstoppable happiness alongside Addison in an inspirational video that is also featured as part of the Facebook campaign. The video encourages viewers to share the holiday card to support the fight against the disease.

"You can't listen to Addison, Kevin and Zane's optimism and bravery and not be inspired to do everything you can to fight for them and other kids battling cancer," said John Kordsmeier, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. "By answering Addison's plea to Share Unstoppable Happiness this holiday season, we can build awareness and provide support for the thousands of children and their families affected by childhood cancer."

Share Unstoppable Happiness! launches just as Northwestern Mutual completes a series of donations to children's hospitals across the country. The philanthropic activities, serving more than 5,000 children, are taking place in several cities including Milwaukee, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Miami and Los Angeles. Northwestern Mutual is delivering Starlight Fun Centers, mobile entertainment units, as well as hosting families at Starlight Great Escape events and launching the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Family Travel Fund in select cities.

According to the National Cancer Institute, childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children under 15 years of age. Further, a recent survey of 1,000 American adults, commissioned by Northwestern Mutual, revealed that the greatest perceived obstacles in curing childhood cancer are lack of research funds (60 percent of survey respondents) and lack of awareness (42 percent of survey respondents).

For more information about Northwestern Mutual and its Childhood Cancer Program, visit www.nmfoundation.com.

About the Northwestern Mutual Foundation
The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation – the largest corporate foundation in the state of Wisconsin – is to build strong, vibrant communities that serve as a legacy to future generations. The Foundation's giving is designed to create an impact on the communities where the company's employees and financial representatives live and work. In fiscal year 2013, the Foundation will contribute $16.9 million to nonprofit organizations across the country.

About Northwestern Mutual
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company – Milwaukee, WI (Northwestern Mutual) – among the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2012 according to FORTUNE® magazine – has helped clients achieve financial security for more than 155 years. As a mutual company with $1.3 trillion of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual has no shareholders. The company focuses solely and directly on its clients and seeks to deliver consistent and dependable value to them over time. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a holistic approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, limited purpose federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company; and Russell Investments.

About Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $60 million toward fulfilling Alex's dream of finding a cure, funding over 250 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit www.AlexsLemonade.org.

About Starlight Children's Foundation
When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, the day-to-day joys of childhood take a back seat to the rigors of treatment and hospitalization. Starlight Children's Foundation™ is a leading global health and education charity working to embrace, empower and enrich the lives of children from illness to wellness. Since 1983, Starlight has been improving the quality of life for children with serious medical conditions through programming that helps kids cope with the experiences of prolonged illness. Starlight's innovative programs have been proven to distract children from their pain and lessen the need for pain medication, help young people better understand and manage their illness, and connect families with others facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Each year Starlight enriches the lives of more than 4.5 million children globally by providing ongoing support to children, parents and siblings through a network of partner hospitals, staff and volunteers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. To learn more visit www.starlight.org.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual