XQ Institute is launching XQ: The Super School Project, a challenge to reimagine and design the next American high school. Harnessing the best of American ingenuity in cities and towns across the country, XQ aims to help spark a movement to rethink the American high school—an institution that was designed to meet the needs of the Industrial Revolution and hasn’t changed in more than a century.
“Our nation is radically different than it was 100 years ago. Nearly every aspect of our daily lives—from how we communicate to how we work and play—has changed dramatically,” said Laurene Powell Jobs, Chair of the board of XQ Institute. “But our high schools have stayed frozen in time. Together, we have an opportunity to help fuel a movement for students, to inspire great high schools, and even to rethink school itself. Our passion at XQ is to help educators everywhere foster students who are curious, engaged, and creative—armed with the new literacies, knowledge, and skills needed to thrive,” she added. “To do that, we must use our collective imagination.”
From the Model T to the Tesla and the switchboard to the smart phone—everything has changed except for how we prepare our kids for the future. XQ: The Super School Project is a rallying call to America to change the outdated model that has failed to prepare our students for the demands of the global economy, and an open call to every community to rethink high school for today and tomorrow. XQ Institute will provide a fund of $50 million to support at least five selected schools over the next five years. It will also partner with them to provide expert support and guidance to turn their ideas into real Super Schools that can inspire the country.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7611851-xq-institute-super-school-project/
Penfolds, Australia’s leading winemaker, is delighted to once again partner with GQ Magazine, the premier men’s magazine for style and culture, and launch the second annual joint search for the “Best Dressed Somm” of 2015. Until September 30, 2015, wine professionals employed in the U.S. and Canada as sommeliers, also referred to as “somms,” are encouraged to submit their most dapper photos on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #BestDressedSomm for a chance to win the coveted title of Penfolds and GQ’s Best Dressed Somm 2015.
“In top restaurants across North America, modern day sommeliers challenge traditional wine attitudes and rules and set new trends in wine and style,” said DLynn Proctor, Penfolds U.S. Winemaking Ambassador. “A somm’s personal style is about exploring and knowing how to choose, and as a fellow somm I’m excited to be part of Penfolds’ and GQ’s celebration of style as a component of the total wine experience.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7614451-penfolds-gq-best-dressed-somm/
The Verizon Innovative App Challenge - the no-coding-skills-needed contest that gives middle and high school students a chance to bring their problem-solving app ideas to life - is back! In its fourth year, the App Challenge calls students to gather teams, dream up ideas, and create concepts for mobile apps that could solve problems in their schools and communities.
For the first time, the App Challenge will be open to teams representing non-profit organizations in addition to schools, and even more students will earn free tablets and cash awards for the groups they represent. The deadline for submission is Nov. 24, and the winners will be named in January 2016.
Bill Nye, the Science Guy, is helping Verizon to encourage students nationwide to submit their ideas and to organize their teams now.
Created by the Verizon Foundation in partnership with the Technology Student Association, the App Challenge offers hands-on, experiential learning to ultimately help students envision brighter futures for themselves that they may never have imagined, as business owners, app inventors and professional coders.
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7593951-verizon-innovative-app-challenge/
Seeking to support men and their loved ones facing the challenges that come with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, USA Rugby, the Australian Rugby Union and Astellas Pharma have partnered to launch the #pass4prostate challenge, a social media campaign designed to generate awareness of prostate cancer and support a donation of up to $125,000 from Astellas to four research and advocacy organizations: Prostate Cancer Foundation, Australia Prostate Cancer Research, Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia and Prostate Cancer Canada.
From August 5 through the end of September – Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – social media users are encouraged to record a video of themselves catching an inanimate object, mentioning why prostate cancer awareness is important to them, and then passing that object, rugby-style, symbolically to a friend or family member. Astellas will donate $5 to prostate cancer advocacy organizations for every qualifying submission with the #pass4prostate hashtag posted to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, up to a maximum contribution of $125,000.
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7579051-pass4prostate-challenge-rugby-astellas/
In an unprecedented move for the television-shopping industry, Jewelry Television® (JTV), is announcing that it will air Rock Star Designer, the first reality show broadcast on a home-shopping network. “JTV Rock Star Designer,” has involved a national search for talented jewelry designers, one of whom will win a $5,000 cash prize and the opportunity to design and sell a jewelry collection on the national jewelry and gemstone shopping network. The reality series will debut on Aug. 7 at 7:30 p.m. EDT, leading into the network’s most-watched show, “Girlfriend Friday.” There will also be an encore presentation every Wednesday at 2 a.m. EDT beginning Aug. 12.
In March 2015, JTV issued a call for entries and received applications from designers around the country. Each aspiring designer was required to submit examples of their jewelry designs and a biographical video describing why he/she should be JTV’s first “Rock Star Designer.” The public voted on its favorite entries, narrowing the field to 10 semi-finalists.
To view the multimedia realease please visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7372631-jewelry-television/
Today, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) unveiled its newest fundraising and endurance initiative, spin4 crohn’s & colitis cures, an indoor cycling event that will raise funds for research, awareness, and patient services. The inaugural event will take place on December 5th at local studios and fitness centers in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago as part of Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week.
“We’re eager to create a movement by launching spin4 crohn’s & colitis curesacross the country on December 5,” said Craig Comins, vice president of CCFA’s Team Challenge program. “It’s about motivating advocates to contribute to the IBD community and take research to the next level. We welcome all ages and athletic abilities to join us with one united voice to spin4 cures.”
Individuals form teams of up to four people per bike and participate in a two-hour indoor cycling relay. Alternatively, solo riders can take on the entire two-hours themselves. No matter the size of the team, each bike has a $1,000 fundraising commitment for CCFA. Professional instructors will lead teams to high-energy music offering a lively workout experience. The event is capped off with a cocktail hour to reward participants for their efforts in the stationary bike relay and fundraising success.
To view the multimedia news release visit
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7512651-ccfa-spin4-crohns-colitis-cures/
One of the best parts of the summer is packing up and taking the kids on a much needed family vacation. However, planning for a big trip can sometimes pose a challenge. From finding the perfect place to stay to keeping the kids entertained on long road trips, family vacations can be stressful even before you leave home!
Hot sauce is more than a condiment. It’s a movement. Thought to be one of the most familiar voices of the movement is a sassy 92-year-old named Ethel, who is best known for delivering the popular catchphrase “I Put That $#!t on Everything,” or #IPTSOE for short. This summer, Ethel is back to issue a challenge to hot sauce lovers everywhere – “I Put That $#!t on Everything, Do You?” The “IPTSOE, Do You?” video contest encourages hot sauce users to step up and proudly show their unwavering dedication to Frank’s RedHot for the chance to win $25,000 and appear with Ethel in a future Frank’s RedHot commercial.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7526851-franks-redhot-iptsoe-contest/
The RCS Engineers Rocketry Team from Russellville, Ala., beat out 100 competitors to claim first place at the National Finals of the 2015 Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). After months of rocketry design, test flights and qualification launches, hundreds of students from across the country traveled to Great Meadow in the Plains, Va., to vie for the title of champion of the largest rocketry competition in the world.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7427051-team-america-rocketry-challenge/
It’s not the first question a parent asks. It’s likely not the fourth or fifth. But for parents like Brian and Diane Vollmert, the question of how to pay for their son, Scott, to receive the best care while providing for their family became an unmanageable challenge.
“From the very beginning, Scott didn’t fit cleanly in any category. He wasn’t clearly autistic. He wasn’t clearly developmentally delayed. He had characteristics of both,” said Diane. That combination of Autism Spectrum Disorder and developmental delay can add up to more than $2.4 million in care over Scott’s lifetime, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Pediatrics last year. An astronomical sum for most Americans, including the Vollmerts.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7422152-northwestern-mutual-special-needs/
Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLE) today announced the winners of its first charitable social media contest awarding a share of $60,000 to six local nonprofit organizations.
“With over 155,000 votes cast in Community Aces Challenge and over 300 applications to participate, we were thrilled with the response to Isle’s first charitable contest on social media,” said Virginia McDowell, Isle’s president and chief executive officer. “As we watched the results and saw how hard all of the charities were working to garner votes, we decided to add a third place prize to the competition.”
“The 150 participating nonprofit organizations registered in the fourth quarter of 2014 and coordinated their own individual voting campaigns between Feb. 1 and March 20, 2015,” said McDowell. “We commend the efforts of all the organizations in the Challenge! Each organization has a mission dedicated to enhance the communities we all share and we look forward to seeing the funds put to use.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7490751-isle-of-capri-casinos-community-aces/
For the second time in school history, a team of academic stars representing Prairie View A&M University bested 47 teams from America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to win the 26th annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) National Championship Tournament. In addition to taking home the prized HCASC championship title, Prairie View was awarded a $50,000 institutional grant from Honda to support academic programs on campus.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7475251-hcasc-hbcu-national-title-prairie-view/
