Lucasfilm announced today that in
celebration of the September launch of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray,
it is linking up with celebrities, eBay and Major League Baseball to ask fans to
Use the Force for Good to support Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). SU2C funds
groundbreaking cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly
and save lives.
“Lucasfilm joining with eBay, Major League Baseball and a wonderful group of
actors is an amazing force for good being brought to bear in Stand Up To
Cancer’s fight against this disease, and we are profoundly grateful,” said SU2C
Co-Founder Sue Schwartz. “With one in two men and one in three women diagnosed
in their lifetimes, cancer affects us all. SU2C’s mission is to persuade each
and every person to support the scientists working to end cancer, and this
initiative gives legions of Star Wars fans fun and easy ways to do that.”
The campaign will launch today with a video featuring celebrity Star Wars
enthusiasts encouraging fans to Use the Force for Good and join Lucasfilm in
donating to Stand Up To Cancer. SU2C Ambassadors Aziz Ansari, Zach
Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy
Samberg and Emma Stone – along with Star Wars alum Samuel L. Jackson – will each
Use the Force for Good as they recreate classic Star Wars scenes to raise
awareness for cancer research. The all-star video tribute appears on the Star
Wars YouTube channel youtube.com/starwars.
Also, eBay will use the Force of its 97 million active members to give fans
an online destination for browsing unique and special Star Wars items: ebay.com/usetheforceforgood. The destination will allow fans
to bid on rare and exclusive items like a one-of-a-kind Star Wars edition 2012
Volkswagen Passat and a once-in-a-lifetime experience; dinner with prominent Bay
Area filmmakers George Lucas, Chris Columbus, Francis Ford Coppola, Philip
Kaufman and John Lasseter. All charity auctions will begin on September 16th at
4:00 p.m. PDT, and continue until 4:00 p.m. PDT on September 23rd.
Star Wars and SU2C have also created a Stand Up To Cancer line of Star Wars
t-shirts. The tees will feature iconic Star Wars artwork alongside SU2C’s
signature upward arrows, with slogans like “Blast Cancer” and “Use the Force for
Good.” The exclusive tees are available now and can be purchased through the
end of the year at store.standup2cancer.org/shop with proceeds benefiting
SU2C.Then, throughout the month of September, select Major League Baseball Clubs
across the country will feature Stand Up To Cancer/Star Wars themed nights in
their respective ballparks. The special events will offer Star Wars themed
ticket packages with a portion of proceeds benefitting SU2C. Most packages will
include appearances by Star Wars costumed characters, VIP fan photo ops,
giveaways and the Star Wars Stand Up To Cancer exclusive t-shirts. For a list of
participating Clubs, game schedules and ticket information, please visit MLB.com/StarWars. Since its
launch, Stand Up To Cancer has grown significantly with support from players,
fans and all 30 MLB Clubs. Major League Baseball was a founding donor to Stand
Up To Cancer in 2008, and has donated more than $30 million to the
groundbreaking research organization since its inception.
“We are thrilled to be using the launch of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on
Blu-ray as a call to action for our fans to Use the Force for Good,” said
Kayleen Walters, Senior Director of Marketing at Lucasfilm. “We are happy to use
the power of Star Wars to support this noble cause.”
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