AMERICAN EXPRESS SELECTS SARASOTA RESIDENT’S IDEA, “KIDS WITH GIVE,” AS A SEMIFINALIST IN ITS NATION

American Express recently announced the Top 50 Semifinalists for its national Members Project Contest and Sarasota, Florida resident, Bradlee Roffers’ idea – Kids With Give – was among them. Cardmembers Have Until July 15th To Vote For Their Favorite Idea.

[ClickPress, Fri Jul 13 2007] American Express recently announced the Top 50 Semifinalists for its national Members Project Contest and local resident, Bradlee Roffers’ idea – Kids With Give – was among them.

The campaign to search for the “the next big idea for our world” received over 7,000 ideas from American Express Cardmembers across the country. Supported by an advisory board that includes Dr. Jane Goodall, Ellen DeGeneres and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the winning idea will receive between $1 million and $5 million to fund the project.

Roffers has between now and July 15th to get as many American Express Cardmembers to register online and vote for Kids With Give to make it to the next round in the contest. The 25 ideas with the greatest number of votes will move onto the finals and become eligible for grant monies from American Express. The winner will be announced on August 7th.

Kids With Give, Roffers’ brainchild, is a not-for-profit educational organization, currently in development, with the mission of inspiring children, educating them about how they can make a difference in the world philanthropically and helping to connect them with kid-friendly charities that support their passions. To do this, Kids With Give provides online “mini-trust” accounts for children where donors can contribute and offers resources for children to learn more about giving and other nonprofit organizations.

Kids With Give provides an opportunity for children to set aside money through donations from friends and family members or from their own savings. The child can then learn about kid-friendly charities and causes from around the world, and choose where and when to donate their money.

“What makes Kids With Give unique is that it helps empower the child to decide how to use their monetary funds and lets them decide where they want to make a difference as well as experience the joy of giving,” says Roffers. “Giving a child the ability to connect directly with charities that they are passionate about is a critical element in teaching the next generation the importance of philanthropy.”

For more information, or to cast your vote, go to www.membersproject.com and search for “KidsWithGive-Teach Philanthropy & Change the World.” Only American Express Cardmembers that register online at the above Web site can vote in this contest, and there is no cost to register. American Express donates $1 for every eligible Cardmember that registers online, up to $5 million.

About Kids With Give
Kids with Give is a nonprofit educational organization to inspire children, educate them about how they can make a difference in the world philanthropically and help connect them with kid-friendly charities around their passions. To do this, Kids with Give provides online gift registries for children where donors can contribute and provides resources for children to learn more about giving and organizations. Visit www.kidswithgive.org to learn more.

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