Nickelodeon Awards Four Grants to Local Texas School and Other Organizations as Part of Network's 'Let's Just Play' Program

Nickelodeon Awards Four Grants to Local Texas School and Other Organizations as Part of Network's 'Let's Just Play' Program

Network Also Announces Future $1.5 Million Commitment to Upcoming 2005 Grants Program

More than 80 U.S. Communities Receive Funding to Help Create and Expand Opportunities for Healthy, Physical Play

NEW YORK, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas's Dixie Elementary School (Tyler); Yehovah Yireh Foundation (Dime Box); City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department (Houston); and Faith, Hope and Charity: Concerned Citizen Organization for Youth (Marlin) are among 81 recipients of Nickelodeon grants designed to help foster healthy and active lifestyles within local communities. The network is distributing a total of $600,000 to schools and other organizations across the United States as part of its 2004 "Let's Just Play" program. Ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 each, the grants were awarded to applicants who demonstrated a comprehensive plan for encouraging play in their area. Applications were judged on a competitive basis according to the range and scope of the project, creativity, accountability, and the impact it would potentially have on participants. More than 1,800 grant applications were received from every state in the country for the 2004 "Let's Just Play" Grants Program, expressing more than $9 million in need.

"We have become increasingly aware of the challenges faced by schools and community-based organizations to fund programs that address the inactive lifestyles among kids today," said Marva Smalls, Nickelodeon Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. "Of the applications we received, the majority requested funds for basic necessities such as athletic equipment, clearly demonstrating that it does not take an exorbitant amount of money to assist. Small amounts can yield big results for a community and will make-up for budget cuts elsewhere."

Dixie Elementary School plans to use the funds to purchase athletic equipment to enhance its physical education programming. The "Let's Just Play" grant will increase the school's PE budget by +638%. Yehovah Yireh Foundation, an after-school tutoring and recreation program for students, grades seven to 12, will construct a ropes course at its Center to provide after-school and weekend physical fitness programming for the local school district. Seeking to increase daily participation in physical education by ten percent, Faith, Hope, and Charity, which provides after-school care to at-risk youth, will use its funds to hire a part-time gym specialist, purchase new gym equipment, and support its club soccer program. The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department will use the grant to support two public activity carnivals, as well as purchase sports equipment to enhance its non-competitive sports programming.

The network also announced plans to commit $1.5 million to this year's "Let's Just Play" Grants Program. By more than doubling this year's commitment, Nick aims to serve as a facilitator and encourage its partners, advertisers, licensees, and others to become involved in "Let's Just Play." Funds will be awarded through various initiatives during the year. A more detailed announcement about the 2005 grants program will be issued later this year.

"The tremendous nationwide response to the 2004 'Let's Just Play' Grants Program demonstrated that communities are genuinely looking for ways to enhance activity and health awareness, but desperately need the means," added Smalls. "By increasing our commitment and contribution toward this effort in 2005, Nick aims to raise the bar by pushing play in the U.S. to new levels. This year's 'Let's Just Play' Grants Program will bridge the gap and establish even more play opportunities for kids."

The broad spectrum of projects that the 2004 "Let's Just Play" Grants Program is funding includes nutrition and physical education programming, renovating facilities for play and exercise, providing athletic equipment, and establishing a variety of sports teams and athletic programs, among others. Selected organizations include elementary and middle schools, community centers, after-school programs, health centers, churches, youth at-risk programs, nonprofit organizations, charities and more. Grants were awarded to communities in every U.S. state and recipients ranged from cities such as Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, to Clearwater, Florida, to Nome, Alaska. A full list of awardees and grant plans is available upon request.

About "Let's Just Play" Grants Program:

In its inaugural year, the "Let's Just Play" Grants Program offers monetary awards to projects from schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States to create and expand opportunities for physical play. In addition to the initial "Let's Just Play" grant, to help further ensure long-term sustainability of certain projects, Nickelodeon also matched up to $5,000 in individual grants given to the selected organizations by the local community. Elementary schools, middle schools, community-based organizations, and after-school programs across the country were eligible to enter the grants program by participating in the Worldwide Day of Play within their own local communities and meeting other criteria. Additional information about Nickelodeon's 2004 "Let's Just Play" Grants Program can be found at www.everythingnick.com. Details about the 2005 program will be posted on the website later this year.

Nickelodeon's "Let's Just Play" Pro-Social Campaign:

Nickelodeon's "Let's Just Play" campaign, currently in its third year, is the network's philanthropic grassroots campaign encouraging kids to engage in healthy, active lifestyles. "Let's Just Play," in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the National PTA, has traveled to 11 U.S. cities, where more than 70,000 kids collectively spent the day outside in a safe, healthy environment. "Let's Just Play" regularly employs Public Service Announcements-which have featured Denzel Washington, Hillary Duff, Clay Aiken, and Tiki Barber, among others-community events, partnerships and grassroots efforts to reinforce the pure value of play and to challenge community infrastructures to support re-investment in recreational resources for kids.

The network recently celebrated "Let's Just Play" with the first-ever Worldwide Day of Play on Oct. 2, 2004, designed to engage kids, on a global level, in healthy and fun activities. Nickelodeon kicked off the day by going off the air for three hours for the first time in the network's 26-year history, to encourage kids to get out and play. More than 250,000 kids in 1,800 grassroots organizations across the country participated in the International Day of Play. Additional events took place across the globe in India, Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

About Nickelodeon:

Nickelodeon, now in its 26th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 88 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for nine consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.


Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses of Nickelodeon, +1-212-846-7326,
joanna.roses@nick.com

Web site: http://www.nick.com/


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