The brand announces $100,000 donation to
USO’s Comfort Crew for Military Kids program
In honor of Independence Day, Duracell is shining a light on the
children of U.S. military service members and the sacrifices they
make when their parent is deployed. Two-time Academy Award-winner,
Hilary Swank, shares her support of the program as the daughter of
a service member herself; her father is a retired Air Force Senior
Master Sergeant.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
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Hilary Swank, actress and daughter of a
retired Air Force Senior Master Sergeant, hugs Mackenzie, 3,
daughter of Navy Air Traffic Controller First Class Robert Nilson,
at the premiere of Duracell's new film, The Teddy Bear, that shines
a light on military families and supports the USO, Thursday, July
2, 2015, at The Times Center in New York. The film, inspired by the
Nilsons, was released in time for the July Fourth holiday weekend
and can be viewed at youtube.com/Duracell. (Photo by Diane
Bondareff/Invision for Duracell/AP Images)
Since the war in Afghanistan began in 2001, more than 2 million
American children have had a deployed parent, according to the
“Military Children and Families” report conducted by Princeton
University/Brookings (Fall 2013). Many of them have seen multiple
deployments, three, four, or even five family separations. A major
issue that children have during a military deployment is the void
that opens when they lose their parent’s daily affection and love.
A new film from Duracell shows this struggle through the eyes of
the ones left behind.
Duracell was inspired to tell this story when they recently met
with one particular military family, the Nilsons. To help their two
young daughters cope with his impending deployment, Robert Nilson,
a Navy Air Traffic Controller, and his wife, Denise, found a way
for Robert to be connected with his children while he was away from
home. On the day of his deployment, he and Denise gave their
daughters a battery-powered teddy bear, pre-recorded with a message
of love from him to his girls. It was a way for the children to
hear their father’s voice when they needed it most. This bear
became a symbol of Robert, trusted to always be there for his
daughters while he was serving overseas.
In honor of all of the families who hold down the home front,
Duracell is working to help power more comforting moments for loved
ones through its support of the United Service Organizations (USO),
one of the nation’s most respected charities serving military
service members and their families. Duracell is donating $100,000
USD to the USO’s Comfort Crew for Military Kids program which helps
military children cope during their parent’s deployment.
“We were so inspired by this story, we wanted to share it,” says
Jeff Jarrett, Duracell Brand Director. “We met the Nilsons and
realized just how difficult it is for these families to stay
connected during a deployment. With their story of the teddy bear,
they helped us understand the impact that a battery-powered
recordable bear could have on children—a way to hear Mom or Dad on
command while they’re deployed, allowing them to always be there.
Duracell wants to help power even more moments of connection by
supporting the USO’s formidable efforts to assist military
families.”
The USO’s Comfort Crew for Military Kids program gives military
children a safe, comfortable environment to explore, with their
peers, the challenges of growing up in the military. The Comfort
Crew for Military Kids program supports military children with the
worldwide USO “With You All The Way! Tour,” lead by
inspirational author and performer Trevor Romain, and through the
distribution of Comfort Kits, which gives military families the
resources they need to tackle tough issues on the home front. In
2014, the USO distributed more than 15,000 kits and the “With You
All the Way! Tour” shared its inspirational message with more than
22,000 military children and families.
“Military children and parents often struggle when their loved
one deploys. Having deployed several times away from my wife
and children, I know that military families can relate to
Duracell’s story of the Nilson family,” says Alan Reyes, USO Senior
Vice President of Operations. “The USO aims to ease the challenges
of separation through family strengthening programs like
the Comfort Crew for Military Kids. We are grateful for Duracell’s
passion for helping us keep military families strong and
connected.”
Military families strive to find ways to keep their child
feeling connected to their deployed parent. However, the
unpredictability of schedules and the vast time differences make it
difficult to connect. Recordable teddy bears, along with other
battery-powered devices such as recordable storybooks, help provide
reliable comfort no matter when or where their parent is
deployed.
"We are also honored to have Hilary Swank join us to lend her
voice and share her story for this powerful program,” says Jeff
Jarrett. “She is a committed and passionate individual who has
firsthand knowledge of being a part of a military family."
“In a military family everyone serves, especially the children –
they too have to make sacrifices,” says Hilary Swank. “I can
understand how the girl in the Duracell film feels, and all
children of deployed parents, with their father or mother away from
home. It wasn’t easy for me when my father was away for many months
at a time with the Air Force, but he always worked hard to stay
connected with us through phone calls. I think it’s wonderful that
children now have things such as a battery-powered recordable teddy
bear to hear their parents’ voice when they need it most.”
Consumers can watch the video at
www.YouTube.com/OfficialDuracell and share to make more people
aware of the issue. In addition to the $100,000 donation from the
brand, Duracell is also asking supporters to donate to the USO at
www.uso.org/donate and support its efforts to help military
children and families stay connected with their deployed loved
ones.
Disclaimer: Nothing in this release is intended to imply
Department of Defense endorsement of Duracell, the USO, or the
Comfort Crew for Military Kids Program.
About Duracell
Part of the Procter & Gamble Company [NYSE:PG], Duracell has
been powering people around the world for more than 50 years. Our
products serve as the heart of devices that keep people connected,
protect their families, entertain them and simplify their
increasingly mobile lifestyles. As the world’s leading manufacturer
of high-performance alkaline batteries, Duracell also innovates in
renewable power and wireless charging technologies to help
consumers live life without limits. Visit www.duracell.com for more
information; follow us on Twitter.com/Duracell and like us on
Facebook.com/Duracell.
About Procter &
Gamble
P&G serves nearly five billion people around the world with
its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of
trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®,
Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®,
Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®,
Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, Wella® and Whisper®. The
P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries
worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and
in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
About the USO
The USO lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families
millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide. We
provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military
bases in the U.S. and abroad, top quality entertainment and
innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support
to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops,
military families, wounded warriors, troops in transition and
families of the fallen. The USO is a private, non-profit
organization, not a government agency. Our programs and services
are made possible by the American people, support of our corporate
partners and the dedication of our volunteers and staff.
In addition to individual donors and corporate sponsors, the USO
is supported by President’s Circle Partners: American Airlines,
AT&T, BNSF Railway, Clark Construction Group, LLC, The
Coca-Cola Company, JCPenney, Jeep, Johnson & Johnson, Kroger,
Northrop Grumman Corporation and TriWest Healthcare Alliance and
Worldwide Strategic Partners: BAE Systems, BIC, The Boeing Company,
ConAgra Foods, FedEx, GEICO, Harris Teeter, Lockheed Martin,
Microsoft Corporation, Procter & Gamble, TKS Telepost
Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG and Wawa Inc. We are
also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign
(CFC-11381). To join us in this important mission, and to learn
more about the USO, please visit uso.org
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150701006550/en/
DuracellRamon Velutini, 203-796-4483velutini.r@pg.comorCitizen
RelationsKatelyn Driscoll,
212-613-4933katelyn.driscoll@citizenrelations.com
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