Inspired by their travels to Ethiopia with international relief and development organization Oxfam America, NFL superstar wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald kick off the 2012 NFL season with a campaign to help raise funds for and awareness of the drought in East Africa.
The players invite fans to join the effort through donations that could help an Ethiopian village fund medical kits, building tools, or other life-saving programs, or by joining the Oxfam community to learn more. Participants will be entered into a weekly contest with prizes such as autographed memorabilia, game tickets, and more.
Boldin and Fitzgerald first teamed up with Oxfam to issue a public service announcement to raise the public profile of the ongoing drought conditions in East Africa. In March 2012, the players traveled to Ethiopia with Oxfam for a first hand account of the conditions affecting over 13 million people in the region.
In a joint statement, Boldin and Fitzgerald said, “We’re back home getting ready to start the season, but Oxfam is still there. They’re helping people rebuild their villages with wells, livestock, farming tools, and other much needed resources. We need you, our fans, to help make sure this life-saving work continues.”
“We’re deeply honored to be able to partner with Anquan and Larry,” said Oxfam America President Raymond C. Offenheiser. “They will only amplify the voices of the people they met in Ethiopia, and bring much needed attention to the region.”
Oxfam is on the ground in Ethiopia providing aid to more than 2.8 million people affected by the crisis in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, including rural pastoralists, small-scare farmers, the urban poor, and refugees.
The players appear in a :30 video promoting the “Ethiopian Village” which will be a part of a new media marketing campaign across the organization and player’s web pages and social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter (#TeamOxfam), and YouTube.
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Note to Editors:
- Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are available to the press
- Oxfam America spokespeople are available to the press
- :30 Ethiopian Village promotion clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYGCe3r8Hqc
- PSA: 30 second version for TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFnCJgO-104
- PSA: 52 second for web, social media and all other media outlets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHfSfEH2Weg
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Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. To learn more, go to OxfamAmerica.org.