Drew Barrymore, Lainey Wilson, Jon Hamm Ring in Holiday Season With St. Jude Thanks and Giving

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 4, 2024--

St. Jude Thanks and Giving® is kicking off its 21st year of uniting celebrities, retailers and consumers to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and its lifesaving mission to treat and defeat childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

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For the first time, actor, producer and talk show host Drew Barrymore joins the annual campaign, along with country music artist Lainey Wilson and actor Jon Hamm. Longtime celebrity supporters Sofia Vergara, Michael Strahan and Luis Fonsi will share the mission of St. Jude with their fans. The signature holiday campaign invites shoppers to support St. Jude by making online and in-store donations or purchasing limited-edition products from some of the nation’s top retailers.

“For more than two decades, the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign has been a holiday tradition that unites millions of supporters around the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. “We’re incredibly thankful for our celebrity friends, partners and donors from all walks of life who are members of our St. Jude family. Their generosity helps St. Jude provide vital research and treatment for kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases so they can live their best life and celebrate every moment.”

The campaign echoes the founding of St. Jude by entertainer Danny Thomas, who drew on his star power to raise funds toward opening a research hospital that would treat children at no charge to their families. Today, his children Marlo, Tony and Terre Thomas and other celebrities lend their voice and support to this beloved cause.

Celebrity Support

Drew Barrymore

“I’m truly honored to unite with St. Jude this holiday season because its mission is incredibly meaningful to me. As a mother, I truly understand the impact a child’s health has on a family and there is nothing like the power of community coming together to support families through hard times. Join me and let’s bring joy, hope, and healing to the brave children and families of St. Jude.”

Lainey Wilson

“Music moves my soul and so do the kids at St. Jude. I am honored to have spent time with them and their families and seen firsthand what supporting St. Jude truly means. From learning about the impact of music therapy at St. Jude to seeing artwork by kids throughout the research hospital, I continue to be inspired by St. Jude families. I’m proud to join my country music family to bring much needed awareness to the lifesaving mission of St. Jude, one that is sustained by generosity every day from people of all walks of life.”

Jon Hamm

“Teaming up with St. Jude for over twenty years to shine a light on its work to improve survival rates for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases means the world to me. Being part of this historic St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign gives us all a chance to make a real difference in the world and in the lives of St. Jude patients and their families.”

Michael Strahan

“Nothing prepares you for hearing the words “your child has cancer.” The breakthroughs and care by St. Jude help families find the hope and healing they need to live a full and impactful life. From my family to yours, let’s come together this holiday season and support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude to treat and defeat childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases to help kids everywhere.”

Sofía Vergara

“Life is deeply precious. The incredible work of doctors, researchers and staff at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital gives kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases a chance to live their best life. It’s an honor to be a part of this campaign each year and see all of us unite for this amazing purpose.”

Luis Fonsi

“I consider St. Jude part of my family and find every chance I can to get involved with its lifesaving mission to help raise childhood cancer survival rates around the world. My wish this holiday season is that everyone can unite with loved ones and find a way to support St. Jude.”

Brands Unite for St. Jude

Well-loved brands participating this year include Domino's, Kay Jewelers, Chili's, HomeGoods, AutoZone, Williams Sonoma, Kia, Dollar General, JOANN, DXL Big + Tall, Melting Pot, HSN, Denny's, J.Crew Factory, Zales, Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, and Banter by Piercing Pagoda, among others.

“At HomeGoods, we hold our friends at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital very close to our hearts. What makes us most proud is the impact our collective work has had on thousands of St. Jude kids and families. It is because of our generous customers and the passion and hard work of our teams, that we have been able to raise over $78 million since 2010 for this incredible organization,” said Victoria Shonkoff, SVP and Marketing Director for HomeGoods & Homesense. “St. Jude has been instrumental in helping advance our social purpose mission, Find Home Anywhere, to help people find a sense of home wherever they are. Through our collaboration, we are one step closer to accomplishing this goal by creating a home away from home for the patients of St. Jude.”

Ways to support St. Jude this holiday season:

Funds raised by these brands will help ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food ― so they can focus on helping their child live.

Explore the many ways to give back to the kids of St. Jude this holiday season.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ®

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. ® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

Sofia Vergara (Photo: Business Wire)

Luis Fonsi (Photo: Business Wire)

Michael Strahan (Photo: Business Wire)

Jon Hamm (Photo: Business Wire)

Lainey Wilson (Photo: Business Wire)

Drew Barrymore (Photo: Business Wire)

COOPERSTOWN, N,Y. (AP) — Dick Allen, Dave Parker and Luis Tiant are among eight men on the ballot for the baseball Hall of Fame’s classic era committee that meets Dec. 8 at the winter meetings in Dallas.

Tommy John, Steve Garvey and Ken Boyer are also on the ballot along with former Negro Leaguers John Donaldson and Vic Harris, the Hall said Monday. The classic era committee considers players, managers, umpires and executives whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.

The identities of the 16 voters will be announced closer to the meeting, and 75% of the vote is needed for election. Anyone chosen will be inducted into the Hall next July 27 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose balloting will be announced on Jan. 21.

Parker, John and Garvey are the living candidates. Tiant died on Oct. 8 at age 83.

Allen hit .292 with 351 homers and 1,119 RBIs from 1963-77. A seven-time All-Star, he was voted the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1972 AL MVP.

Parker, 73, hit .290 with 339 homers and 1,493 RBIs from 1973-91. He was the 1978 NL MVP, won the 1977 and ’78 NL batting titles and was a seven-time All-Star.

Tiant was a four-time 20-game winner who went 229-172 with a 3.30 ERA from 1964-82. He was a three-time All-Star who won two AL ERA titles.

John, 81, was 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA over 26 seasons from 1963-89, becoming a four-time All-Star. He was a pioneer patient in elbow ligament-replacement surgery in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe, which became known as Tommy John surgery.

Garvey, 75, hit .294 with 272 homers, 1,308 RBIs from 1969-87, was the 1974 NL MVP and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 1981 title. He played an NL record 1,207 consecutive games at first base.

Boyer was an 11-time All-Star who batted .287 with 282 homers and 1,141 RBIs from 1955-69. He was the 1964 NL MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals' World Series champions.

Donaldson pitched in the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues for more than 30 years.

Harris played 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues, mostly as a Homestead Grays outfielder, and managed the team for 11 seasons, winning seven Negro National League pennants and the 1948 World Series.

The Hall in 2022 restructured its veterans committees for the third time in 12 years, setting up panels to consider the contemporary era from 1980 on as well as the classic era. The contemporary baseball era holds separate ballots for players and another for managers, executives and umpires.

Each committee meets every three years, starting with contemporary players in December 2022, when Fred McGriff was elected, and followed by contemporary managers, executives and umpires last December, when Jim Leyland was voted in. Contemporary players will be considered again in December 2025.

The ballot was picked by a historical overview committee that included Adrian Burgos of the University of Illinois, Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network, Steve Hirdt of Stats Perform, David O’Brien of The Athletic, BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O’Connell, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and Mark Whicker of the Southern California News Group along with Jim Henneman (formerly of The Sun in Baltimore), Jim Reeves (formerly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and Glenn Schwarz (formerly San Francisco Chronicle).

Allen received 11 votes from the 2014 golden era committee, falling one short of the 75% needed for election. Donaldson got eight votes from the 2021 early baseball era committee, which considered pre-1950 candidates.

Parker got seven votes from the 2019 modern era committee, which considered candidates from 1970-87, Garvey six and John three or fewer. Garvey, John, Parker and Tiant all received fewer than seven votes from the 2016 modern era committee.

Boyer and Tiant got fewer than three in 2014, and Garvey, John and Parker fewer than six from the 2013 expansion era committee. Boyer and Tiant received fewer than three from the 2011 golden era committee.

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Félix Hernández are among the players eligible for the BBWAA ballot for the first time in the upcoming vote. Holdovers include Billy Wagner, who was five votes shy last January.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - Member of the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates World Championship team Dave Parker tips his hat at the fans during a pre-game ceremony honoring the team before a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies in Pittsburgh, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - Former Philadelphia Phillies player Dick Allen reacts after a ceremony unveiling his retired number prior to a baseball game between the Phillies and the Washington Nationals in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File)