Hello Kitty Online
Charity announcement.
WHO: Sanrio Digital and the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
WHAT : Hello Kitty Online , the official massively multiplayer game of Hello Kitty and friends, is offering players the opportunity to purchase limited edition items to support breast cancer research and awareness year-round. 100% of the proceeds from the in-game items will be donated to the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in support of nationwide funding for breast cancer awareness and research.
Priced at 240 Sanrio Cash Points ($3.00 USD) each, the Breast Cancer Awareness virtual Ribbon Awareness Tee and Ribbon Research Wand are part of Sanrio Digital’s on-going campaign to raise awareness and funds for important issues world-wide. The items can also be purchased together in the Research and Awareness Bundle, for 390 Sanrio Cash Points ($4.88 USD).
Important facts about breast cancer:
• One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime
• The five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when caught early, is now 98%
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is the global leader in funding life-saving breast cancer research
• Komen-funded research has touched every major breast cancer advance of the past 27 years
• There are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors alive in the U.S. today.
QUOTES:
“Nearly two million women and men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year,” said Robert Ferrari, vice president of publishing and business development, Sanrio Digital. “Our new virtual items in Hello Kitty Online are designed to encourage our community to fight back by donating to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, a trusted partner and global leader of the fight against breast cancer movement.”
“We are extremely thankful for the support we receive from organizations like Sanrio Digital,” said Lysa Wilkins, relationship development manager, Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. “We are able to raise funds to support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment in our local communities because of supporters like Sanrio Digital and their commitment to the fight to end breast cancer.”
WHERE : http://www.hellokittyonline.com/
WHEN: The items are available in-game permanently, beginning today.
About Hello Kitty Online
Hello Kitty Online (HKO) is the official massively multi-player online game (MMOG) of Hello Kitty. It’s a new fantasy game set in a magical world featuring Hello Kitty and friends. Travel to exciting places including London, Tokyo and Paris with other players as well as your favorite Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Kerropi, My Melody and more!
Hello Kitty Online boasts a captivating storyline, a myriad of quests and a skill-based system, making it an adventure Hello Kitty fans of all ages can enjoy. Featuring customizable avatars, farms and houses, players can experience extensive crafting, farming, guilds, pets and much more.
Hello Kitty Online is also the first MMOG to integrate true social networking, featuring blogs, video sharing and email provided by SanrioTown, the official online community for Sanrio fans.
About SANRIO
SANRIO, best known for global icon Hello Kitty® and home to many more endearing characters including Chococat®, My Melody®, and Keroppi®, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. August 2010 marks the golden anniversary for the worldwide lifestyle brand that was founded on the “small gift, big smile®” philosophy -- that a small gift can bring a big smile to people of all ages. Today, over 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are sold in over 70 countries around the world. In the Western Hemisphere SANRIO character-branded products are sold in upwards of 12,000 locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 95 Sanrio boutiques. For more information, please visit www.sanrio.com.
About Sanrio Digital
Sanrio Digital is a joint venture between Typhoon Games (HK) Ltd. and Sanrio Wave Hong Kong Co., Ltd. Sanrio Digital is responsible for the expansion of Sanrio intellectual property assets into various digital and online media, leveraging an extensive library of original material that includes world-famous brands such as Hello Kitty, Badtz Maru, My Melody and others. Sanrio Digital is the developer and global publisher of Hello Kitty Online and SanrioTown. For more information please visit www.sanriodigital.com, www.hellokittyonline.com, and www.sanriotown.com.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Komen Massachusetts Affiliate
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, and launched the global breast cancer movement. The Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in the local community, joining more than 1 million breast cancer survivors and activists around the globe as part of the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer. Through events like the Komen Massachusetts Race for the Cure®, the Massachusetts Affiliate has invested over $4 million in community breast health programs in the state over the last five years. Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the Affiliate stays in the state of Massachusetts. The remaining income goes to the national Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Grants Program to fund research. For more information, call 617-737-5111 or visit www.komenmass.org.
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For more information, or to schedule a one-on-one interview with a spokesperson from Sanrio Digital, please contact:
Racheal Caswell / Caroline Sung
Wonacott Communications, LLC
(310) 477-2871, Ext. 662 / Ext. 671
rcaswell@wonacottpr.com / csung@wonacottpr.com