Press Release – For Immediate Release
Contact: Kevin Turk
[email protected]
(734)-223-1729
In its 11th Year, International Tom Hanks Day—Has ‘BIG’ Plans
What began as a college house party has become an annual, international event that nets
thousands of dollars for Tom Hanks’ favorite charity—Lifeline Energy.
Saturday, April 12, 2014, marks the 11th International Tom Hanks Day and because of a
successful Kickstarter campaign, there may be a party near you! The event began in
Kalamazoo, Michigan as an April Fool’s Day joke between several Western Michigan
University students. As they ‘grew up,’ so did Tom Hanks Day.
The event moved to Chicago for several years, picking up momentum along the way and
even some media coverage from ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live,’ ‘Good Morning America,’ The
Chicago Sun Times, and many others. The founders even got to travel to New York to meet
Tom Hanks and talk about his annual holiday.
This year, the event will have multiple locations across the globe—including the flagship
event in Chicago. Other event locations include Philadelphia, Austin, Cleveland, Toronto,
Taiwan, Australia, and Kalamazoo. All events are posted on www.thetomhanksday.com.
Many locations will have the official Tom Hanks Day 2014 tee shirt available for purchase,
as well as wristbands that offer food and drink specials. All proceeds from the events will
benefit Lifeline Energy.
The mission of Lifeline Energy is to transform the lives of women and children, usually in
sub-Saharan Africa, through dependable, self-sufficient, and clean energy technologies.
Since 1999, more than 500,000 solar and wind-up powered media players and radios have
been distributed by Lifeline Energy for group listening. It is estimated that they have
reached nearly 20 million listeners. This is the ONLY organization doing this type of work.
Lifeline Energy's product innovation has been recognized throughout the world, including
in the USA, Europe, and Africa. A registered charity in the UK, USA, and South Africa,
Lifeline Energy was known as the Free Play Foundation until 2012.
Tom Hanks has been the celebrity ambassador for Lifeline Energy since it was established
as the Freeplay Foundation in 1999. To learn more, please visit www.thetomhanksday.com
and www.lifelineenergy.com.
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