Archive for the ‘Advocacy’ Category

A Celebration of Reading

Posted by ruckusholly on February 29th, 2012

There are two celebrations of reading worth mentioning, and honoring, this week.

In the UK and Ireland on March 1st, it’s WORLD BOOK DAY, and people will come together from around the world to celebrate the importance of reading and literacy.  It’s a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. It’s actually the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.

NEA’s READ ACROSS AMERICA is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2nd.  The program also provides NEA members, parents, caregivers, and children the resources and activities they need to keep reading on the calendar 365 days a year.

So, what are we doing here at Ruckus to celebrate?  We will be giving away apps on our Facebook page over the next two days.  Just head over to our page throughout the day to answer questions and you might win an app of your choice from our library.

We are also calling all teachers, reading specialists and literacy professional to provide reading tips to stimulate children’s love of reading, both inside and outside the classroom. Who better to write those tips than you, our expert advisers? We’re sure that  you have some tricks up your sleeve to help kids and families fall in love with reading — or practice reading basics without making it feel like work (or homework!).  Tips can be for emerging, beginning or independent readers — or feel free to send suggestions for all three!

Email your creative reading tip and photograph to TeacherTips@RuckusMediaGroup.com  or ParentTips@RuckusMediaGroup.com (whichever is applicable), if selected, we will credit the submission with your name and image, and post a link directly to your site or school if you’d like. Plus, you’ll also be eligible to receive a $10 iTunes gift card to select your choice of stories from the Ruckus library.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get exposure, an iTunes gift card and to share your love of reading with us and our community.

 

 

Twitter Party Wrap Up: Teaching Our Children About Helping Others

Posted by ruckusholly on December 7th, 2011

Teaching kids to help others

Last night we gathered with friends, old and new on Twitter to talk about teaching our children how to be charitable and enjoy helping others.  The conversation stemmed out of a current campaign that we are working on with our friends at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.  Right now for every Rabbit Ears app that you download for $1.99, we are donating 100% of the net proceeds ($1.39 per app) to our friends at St. Jude to support their efforts.  Our campaign ends at the end of the month, so download these apps today.

As a children’s publishing company, and moms and dads ourselves, we care a lot about Social Good and teaching our children to help others, and we know that our community shares the same belief.  So, we gathered our friends, MommyMentor, CiaoMom, AMotherhoodBlog, ComplicatedMama, saving4someday and primetimeparent to help guide the discussion. Our friends at StJude were also on hand during the fast-moving hour, and we had great giveaways from BuildaBear, LOFT and Dominos, as well as merchandisefrom StJude.

Here are some snippets of our conversation.  If you want to review the whole conversation, send me an email and we can send you the script at holly@ruckusmediagroup.com

 

Do you make an effort to teach your children about philanthropy?

ComplicatedMama: I always make an effort to teach my kids ab philanthropy. I try to involve them in the donations I make.

CiaoMom: also, children have to see you doing it, walking the walk.

MommyMentor: We have adopted a family this Christmas and the children helped buy presents for them.

bcherry82: The younger the better. We go to the local nursing home here once a week with our dog, & donate to food pantry.

KaratewithaZ: The bell ringers are everywhere this time of year too, I let my son make the donation drop so he feels special.

nikki2kids: My kids like to pick out special toys for toys for tots every year.

CristaMorrow: We teach our young children to be compassionate and care for others. Philanthropy will surely follow.

MOM4EVEREVER: Kids need to be brought up its their responsibility to give back, that its not a get world but a give back pay it forward.

 

How do you encourage the spirit of service?

MissMimiwallace: I always try to stay positive and have a giving caring attitude & I instill it into my daughter as well.

elivya: I think you can encourage it by showing kids how it benefits others to donate time and energy to helping.

primetimeparent: By example, thinking of others!

ToodiesMomma: By sharing my knowledge and also talking about the charities i support and donate to.

sleatham1: I volunteer to help others when anyone needs help…at church and christian help center too.

KaratewithaZ: We love to give when we can. We’ve needed help this year ourselves but we’ve kept ourselves in good spirits.

IrishRed02: When we have the chance to help I get the kids involved, whether it’s shopping 4 school supplies or donating food.

MommyMentor: I think it is important that children know service can be the smallest things you do to help others.

 

What kind of volunteer projects are appropriate for children?

IrishRed02: Toy drives, food drives, picking old toys and clothes to donate.

KaratewithaZ: Making cards or crafts to make people smile is a perfect job for a child.

ToodiesMomajail: Participating in the angel tree. My daughter enjoys picking out the presents.

Arianah_00: Caroling to senior homes…visiting other children in the hospital.

Tink4everbell: Helping serve others at a shelter, it depends on the age. Age appropriate things of course.

aspiringmama: I have my 4 yr old choose unused toys to donate and take her with me to do so. Makes her feel involved.

saving4someday: There are always age-appropriate option for kids to volunteer. Helping has no age minimum.

bcherry82:My son has to give all his old toys to the church charity, and give one of his new ones as well.

 

To end our chat, tell us how you teach kids to give back during the holidays?

MommyMentor: They use their own money from allowance to buy for our adopted family.

CiaoMom: We take a day off of Hanukkah and give instead of getting.

livelovelynn: We’re sure to give generously to our local food bank. It reminds us of how fortunate we really are.

lovinmomma88: I taught him that if he gives, there’s room for more, as well as making other kids happy. he loves that. HAPPY.

teachwtechbrox: We also make sure the kids are involved in choosing names from “giving tree” at church and they help purchase the gifts.

 

How do you talk about helping others? How do you make it a priority?

mellanhead: My son’s class gets a marble whenever they do something good. If filled they get pizza party.

saving4someday: I sit on the board of a charity, it’s part of how I roll. My daughter understands that.

 

Stay tuned for our next Twitter Party on January 18th.  We’ll be joined by our friend at Famigo and elsewhere to talk Kids and Technology.

 

 

“LIKE” Ruckus Media Group on Facebook to Benefit the Children of St. Jude

Posted by ruckusholly on December 6th, 2011

facebook

This holiday season, we’re making it really easy for you to help us raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

First we put our entire library on sale during the week of Thanksgiving and we donated 100% of all net proceeds to the cause ($1.39 per app).  The Rabbit Ears apps continue to be priced at $1.99 until the end of the month, and all proceeds are going toward this important cause, so don’t forget to stock up on these great stocking stuffers and Hanukkah gifts.

Now, we’ve come up with another way to donate funds to the lifesaving work of St. Jude.  All you have to do is “Like us” on Facebook and we’ll donate .25 cents to St. Jude.  If we reach 1,000 fans by December 31st, we will donate 100% of the total donation.*

Please invite your friends to like us on Facebook today so we can make our goal!

*Maximum donation amount from the Facebook campaign is $250.

 

 

 

 

Black Friday Shopping to Support a Cause

Posted by ruckusholly on November 22nd, 2011

Ruckus Media St. Jude promotionThis Thanksgiving, we are giving back.  With EVERY Ruckus app sold, we are donating 100% of the net proceeds to the children of St. Jude Children’s Hospital®.  Not only can you get a head start on your holiday shopping  (apps do make great stocking stuffers!), but you will support a wonderful cause.  In addition, we are dropping the price of all our apps to $1.99 each.  It’s truly Black Friday Shopping to support a cause.

It’s the eighth annual Thanks and Giving campaign, a holiday campaign that asks shoppers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not,” and we’re proud to be a partner to help make a difference in these children’s lives.

Beginning today and running over Black Friday and through Monday, November 28th, 2011, we  will donate to St. Jude 100% of the net proceeds ($1.39) of the company’s entire digital library including the iTunes bestseller MY LITTLE PONY: TWILIGHT SPARKLE, TEACHER FOR A DAY and Moms’ Choice award winner CHUCK AND FRIENDS: FRIENDS FOR THE LONG HAUL, both featuring beloved Hasbro characters; holiday Read-Play-and-Record-Along classics THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS and THE VELEVETEEN RABBIT, both told by Meryl Streep; among many other interactive storybooks. You will be supporting the hospital’s lifesaving mission of finding cures and saving children with cancer and other deadly diseases.

To learn more about the Thanks and Giving campaign and its partners, please visit www.stjude.org or call 1-800-4STJUDE. To purchase Ruckus’ interactive storybooks for iOS mobile devices and help support this campaign during the holiday season, visit the Ruckus Media Group page at iTunes.

Happy shopping!

 

Thanks and Giving All Week on The Today Show

Posted by ruckusholly on November 21st, 2011

Today Marlo Thomas appreared on NBC’s TODAY Show to ask the public to help save the lives of children stricken with cancer and other deadly diseases.  Watch the clip here:

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Thomas, the national outreach director of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, is appearing on the top-rated morning show to raise awareness of the St. Jude mission of finding cures and saving children during the hospital’s annual Thanks and Giving campaign.

Thanks and Giving is a holiday campaign that unites shoppers, celebrities and national corporate partners to help find cures and save children.   We are thrilled to be joining forces with St. Jude this holiday season  to “give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.”

Between now and December 31, we will donate 100% ($1.39) of the net proceeds of our classic Read-Play-and-Record Along Rabbit Ears interactive storybooks to the St. Jude cause. Buying an app will give you, the consumer, a dual purpose. For example, when you pick up a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit told by Meryl Streep, not only will you be providing quality story-telling to your child, but you will also be supporting the lifesaving work of finding cures and saving children with deadly diseases. Plus, for a limited time, all of our Rabbit Ears apps will be priced at $1.99.  Not only are our apps on sale, but you can feel good about making a donation to this important charity, knowing that $1.39 of each download goes to help save a child’s life.

The apps that are on sale include: Pecos Bill told by Robin Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit  and The Night Before Christmas told by Meryl Streep, John Henry told by Denzel Washington, Tom Thumb told by John Cleese, Goldilockstold by Meg Ryan, Johnny Appleseed told by Garrison Keillor, The Steadfast Tin Soldier told by Jeremy Irons andThree Little Bears told by Holly Hunter.  In addition we are releasing two NEW stories during this time period, as well, both launching today: Thumbelina told by Kelly McGillis and Paul Bunyan told by Jonathan Winters.

We are so honored to be amongst a prestigious group of partners teaming up with St. Jude during this fabulous, important campaign (check out the list here), and we hope that you head to  iTunes today to purchase our interactive storybooks.  To learn more about the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign or to make a donation, go here.

We’ll have more big news tomorrow about this partnership, so stay tuned.