A Sweet Way To Make A Difference

Sending a message of hope can be one way to help a worthwhile cause.

It would be a sweet reward to find a cure for pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases that affect children-and ice cream fans now have a way to help.

Fans of ice cream-whether it's on a stick, in a cup or on top of a cone-can visit Icecream.com to "stick up" for kids with cancer.

For every virtual frozen pop stick message sent from the site between May 15 and Dec. 31, 2006, Nestlé Ice Cream will donate 25 cents to City of Hope Cancer Center, where the money will be used for pediatric cancer research, treatment and education.

Visitors to Icecream.com are invited to write some words of inspiration, a favorite joke or simply a message of hope on a virtual frozen pop stick that will be shared with kids who are currently undergoing treatment.

At the end of the program, the number of virtual frozen pop sticks will be counted and an equivalent number of real-life frozen pop sticks will be used to construct a sculpture. A talented artist will design a kid-friendly, whimsical sculpture that will be placed at City of Hope to remind children that people throughout the country are wishing them well.

The sculpture will be erected in spring 2007 and an image of the sculpture may be placed on selected frozen treat packages to support and grow the program.

"Nestlé Ice Cream is proud to partner with City of Hope to support research and treatment programs that will benefit kids with cancer," said Maggie Hughs, senior manager, Nestlé Ice Cream. "We hope enabling ice cream fans across the nation to send a virtual message of hope will not only help this worthwhile cause, but also inspire both the sender and recipient of each message."

City of Hope is one of the world's leading research and treatment centers for cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Named by U.S. News & World Report as one of America's best medical centers for cancer treatment, City of Hope is a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest designation bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics.

City of Hope's scientific knowledge is shared with medical centers locally and globally, helping patients battling life-threatening diseases.