24 Nov 2015
New PSAs Focus on Educational Support for Children in Low-Income Neighborhoods
CBS Stars Mayim Bialik, Luis Guzmán, Téa Leoni, LL COOL J, Chi McBride,
Shemar Moore, Jeff Probst and Tom Selleck To Be Featured
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Tuesday, Nov. 24 – The “I Have A Dream” Foundation (IHDF) and CBS Cares have joined together to create a public service campaign focusing on educational support and mentoring for young students in low-income areas.
Christmas- and Hanukkah-themed IHDF public service announcements featuring Mayim Bialik (THE BIG BANG THEORY) and LL COOL J (NCIS: LOS ANGELES) will launch online and across CBS Interactive platforms onWednesday, Nov. 25. On Friday, Nov. 27, the PSAs will begin to air nationally on the CBS Television Network and on local CBS stations across the country.
The IHDF/CBS Cares PSA campaign will continue in 2016, featuring CBS stars Luis Guzmán (CODE BLACK), Téa Leoni (MADAM SECRETARY), Chi McBride (HAWAII FIVE-0), Shemar Moore (CRIMINAL MINDS), Jeff Probst (SURVIVOR), Tom Selleck (BLUE BLOODS) and more.
“These powerful CBS Cares PSAs shine a light on the urgent need to increase access to higher education for children from low-income communities,” said Donna A. Lawrence, President and CEO of the National “I Have A Dream” Foundation. “The campaign will boost the visibility of IHDF’s work and help break the cycle of poverty for thousands of families across the country, making the dream of a college education a reality for their children.”
“The ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation impacts diversity and education, two top priorities for the CBS Corporation,” said Josie Thomas, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, CBS Corporation. “This collaboration is an opportunity that will help increase awareness and further the Foundation’s crucial mission of providing long-term support programs aimed at increasing high school graduation and college completion for students in under-resourced public schools.”
“The ‘I Have A Dream’ program was monumental for me,” says Dreamer alumna Zairia Benjamin, an accomplished social worker. “My earliest memories always involve the volunteers who made me feel important because of how much they invested in me. I am lucky to be a product of their investment, and appreciative and aware of how much I was given and the kind of support a person needs to do well.”
Every student in the IHDF program receives guaranteed tuition assistance for higher education as well as continued support on their college journey. In addition to financial support, IHDF provides students with academic support and life skills as well as mental and social encouragement. Since 1981, “I Have A Dream” Foundation programs have operated in 28 states, Washington, D.C., and New Zealand, together serving nearly 17,000 students.
“Diversity is important to all that CBS does as a company, and we are proud of this partnership between CBS Cares and the IHDF,” said Tony Ambrosio, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, CBS Corporation. “We hope that these PSAs will further IHDF’s important mission of helping children in low-income communities, fulfilling their dreams of a higher education and career.”
To get involved and learn more, visit http://www.ihaveadreamfoundation.org/.
About “I Have A Dream” Foundation:
The “I Have A Dream” Foundation (IHDF) is a leading education nonprofit focused on breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty through a comprehensive program of support that follows the same group of children (“Dreamers”) from elementary school all the way through college. Founded 35 years ago through the vision of Eugene Lang, IHDF operates in 16 cities and has nearly 17,000 alumni.
About CBS Cares:
At the heart of CBS’s public service commitment are the multi award-winning CBS Cares campaigns, consisting of PSAs that usually feature talent from a wide array of CBS programming. Approximately 200 million viewers see one or more of the CBS Cares campaigns each year. These PSAs have embraced a number of causes, none more important than diversity and tolerance. The Nelson Mandela Foundation partnered with CBS Cares for Mr. Mandela’s first-ever PSAs on tolerance in the U.S. These PSAs were seen in the U.S. and 82 other countries. Each year, CBS Cares airs PSAs to honor Black History Month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Native American Heritage Month. CBS Cares also worked with the NAACP in developing PSAs that marked its 100th anniversary. Additionally, it worked with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Trust on PSAs to raise funds for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. CBS Cares annually marks the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with PSAs featuring Congressman John Lewis, who marched with Dr. King. CBS Cares annually marks Memorial Day and Veterans Day with special PSAs honoring American military veterans. Another set of PSAs honor the victims of the Nazi Holocaust and run annually on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.