Lady Gaga donates $1.5 million to Zynga for Japan disaster relief
Being enormous fame monsters ourselves, we really appreciate it when others like us -- say, Lady Gaga -- use their monstrous fame for good. Which is exactly why we were so glad to see Ms. Gaga's massive $1.5 million contribution to Zynga's continued Japan relief efforts, half of which joined Zynga's donation, adding to the $2.5 million already raised in the past two weeks by the company's Facebook games. That brings Zynga's grand total in donation to just over $3 million.
"I'm inspired that my little monsters banded together to help those affected by the terrible tragedy," Gaga colorfully noted. The money she raised came from the sale of $5 "We Pray for Japan" bracelets that her fans bought, with all proceeds going to charity. "What Zynga's players have done for the cause is equally inspiring, and I'm thrilled to partner with them to raise money that will go to Save the Children and the American Red Cross," she added. You can donate directly by heading to SaveTheChildren.org or RedCross.org.
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LADY GAGA DONATES $1.5 MILLION IN TOTAL TO ZYNGA'S JAPAN EARTHQUAKE
RELIEF CAMPAIGN AND THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
Pop Icon Partners with Zynga's Fundraising Initiative for Save the
Children's Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund and The
American Red Cross
SAN FRANCISCO – March 28, 2011 – Zynga Inc. today announced that Lady
Gaga has donated $1.5 million total, through the sales of her Japan
Prayer Bracelets, to Zynga's fundraising initiative with Save the
Children as well as to the American Red Cross to support relief
efforts following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Today's donation comes on the heels of Zynga players raising more than
$2.5 million in the last two weeks for Save the Children's Japan
Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund and other causes,
bringing the grand total raised to more than $3 million.
"I'm inspired that my little monsters banded together to help those
affected by the terrible tragedy," said Lady Gaga. "What Zynga's
players have done for the cause is equally inspiring, and I'm thrilled
to partner with them to raise money that will go to Save the Children
and the American Red Cross."
Through Zynga games including Café World, CityVille, FrontierVille,
FarmVille, Words With Friends, Vampire Wars, YoVille and Zynga Poker,
more than 250 million players had the opportunity to donate 100
percent of the purchase price of newly created virtual items to the
fundraising efforts. Via Credits, Facebook donated money generated
through the purchases to support the initiative.
"We've seen our players show tremendous generosity when presented with
opportunities to give back," said Mark Pincus, CEO and Founder of
Zynga. "We're very happy that Lady Gaga has chosen to donate to our
fundraising efforts and hope our players take pride in what they've
accomplished."
Lady Gaga is also announcing a contest where she will fly one lucky
fan who purchased a Japan Prayer Bracelet to a show on The Monster
Ball Tour to meet the superstar. Visit http://www.LadyGaga.com to
learn more. Zynga.org is committed to transforming the world through
the power of virtual social goods with campaigns in Zynga games. Since
its inception in October 2009, hundreds of thousands of players have
raised more than $10 million dollars for international nonprofits
through Zynga.org. Visit the following link directly to help provide
disaster relief and support children affected by the disaster in
Japan: http://www.savethechildren.org/japanzynga.
About Zynga Inc.
Zynga Inc. is the world's largest social game developer with more than
250 million monthly active users playing their games which include
FarmVille, FrontierVille, Mafia Wars, Zynga Poker, Café World,
Treasure Isle and CityVille. Zynga Inc. games are available on a
number of global platforms including Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo, the
iPad and iPhone. Through Zynga.org, Zynga players have raised more
than $10 million for world social causes. Zynga Inc. is headquartered
in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.zynga.com or
www.zynga.org.
About Save the Children
Save the Children is the leading, independent organization that
creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and
120 countries around the world. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
About The American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support
to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood;
teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid;
and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a
charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on
volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its
mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join
our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
