Hundreds of Volunteers Line Streets for 52nd Annual Old Newsboys’ Day
Firstrust and Acme Lead Sponsors of Tradition Benefiting Children with Disabilities
“Give a Buck, Help a Kid!” On Friday, September 25, local celebrities, business leaders, college students and Firstrust volunteers roll up their sleeves and take part in Old Newsboys’ Day, a longstanding Philadelphia tradition to benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity and the thousands of children with disabilities supported by the charity. Old Newsboys’ Day brings out hundreds of volunteers who set up on street corners throughout Philadelphia to sell The Happiness Edition newspaper. The paper, which is only printed once a year on Old Newsboys’ Day, has a suggested donation of one dollar and is a compilation of stories about good people doing great things for children with disabilities and includes valuable coupons from Variety sponsors. All proceeds benefit Variety.
“With social services being cut from many local and federal budgets, the donations Variety receives from local supporters help us provide essential services to children with disabilities whose families need us now more than ever,” said Andrew Pack, Executive Director of Variety’s Philadelphia Chapter.
The kickoff celebration for Old Newsboys’ Day will begin at 10am with a rally at City Hall. The celebration will include live bands like the Quaker City String Band and other entertainment, as well as celebrity appearances including Mayor Michael Nutter, 6ABC’s Monica Malpass, FOX29’s Jenn Frederick, NBC10’s Michelle Grossman and CBS3’s Jim Donovan as well as mascots from all over the Greater Philadelphia Area.
After the kickoff rally, volunteers will take over more than 72 street corners throughout the city – from the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel to Temple, Center City and points in between – to distribute the Happiness Edition of the newspaper. From 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., groups and businesses including Philadelphia law firms, media outlets and banks will “own” their street corners, selling newspapers to passersby. Food vendors like Tastykake, along with restaurants like Chick-Fil-A and the Spaghetti Warehouse, will also sponsor corners with various product giveaways, and a number of very talented Variety Children will perform at locations throughout the city.
For additional information or assistance from Variety, please visit their website at: http://www.varietyphila.org/