For an individual who spends a great deal of my time involved in media, in one way or another, I am constantly bombarded with all types of issues that people want to discuss. However, one topic that people attempt to avoid like the plague is poverty. No one wants to talk about poverty, and absolutely no one wants to talk about child poverty. You see, talking about it makes it real and it makes it difficult for people to pretend that it does not exist. Admitting that the richest nation on earth has a massive issue with poverty just doesn’t sit well with most.
Fortunately, there are businesses and philanthropists who are willing to engage the issue straight on. Companies like Walgreens, M&M’s, NBC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have stepped up to the plate to commit their support to the renewal of Red Nose Day. So, what is Red Nose Day?
Red Nose Day is a national campaign that is dedicated to ending child poverty in the United States and beyond. NBC will be hosted a special Red Nose night of special programming on Thursday, May 24, 2018. This awesome night of celebration will be preceded by a number of events that will celebrate the cause and bring awareness to the existing problem.
The campaign has become famous for the Red Noses that supporters wear to show their support while bringing awareness to the problem. These Red Noses will, once again, be sold exclusively at Walgreens. The Red Nose Day campaign is proud to announce that all of the major sponsors from the previous campaign are returning to commit to another year.
The campaign initially launched in 2015, and since then it has raised more than $100 million, part of which has been raised through the sale of more than 30 million of the classic red noses. There are definitely some heavy hitters out there in addition to Walgreens, Including the NBC corporation, M&M’s, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. While Bill Gates is often touted as one of the wealthiest men in America, very little is ever mentioned about the philanthropic work that he and his wife, Melinda, do on a regular basis.
Because the conversations surrounding child poverty are few and in-between, few people understand the gravity of childhood poverty and how it impacts the child and their ability to progress in life. It is estimated that nearly seven million children have inadequate medical care as a result of poverty, and 60,000 of these kids are perpetually homeless. Another 850,000 lack essential educational support to ensure that they able to compete with their more affluent counterpart.
Fortunately, Red Nose Day has really caught on around the country as more people become aware of the negative effects of childhood poverty and the long-term consequences of those effects. To ensure that American remains a leader in economics, technology and social standing in the world, it is imperative to effectively support the millions of children who are currently underserved in many of the inner-city communities across the country. The Red Nose Day campaign is definitely making an imprint on this issue.
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