Lucasfilm, eBay and Major League Baseball – as well as assorted celebrities – have teamed up to help raise funds for the non-profit organization Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). In conjunction with the Star Wars: The Complete Saga blu-ray release (with its changed scenes – Darth Vader yells “No! Nooooo!” when tossing the Emperor to his death, a puppet Yoda’s replaced with a CG Yoda, etc – that have fans up in arms), Lucasfilm initiated a Use the Force for Good campaign in support of SU2C.
“Lucasfilm joining with eBay, Major League Baseball and a wonderful group of actors is an amazing force for good being brought to bear in Stand Up To Cancer’s fight against this disease, and we are profoundly grateful,” stated SU2C Co-Founder Sue Schwartz. “With one in two men and one in three women diagnosed in their lifetimes, cancer affects us all. SU2C’s mission is to persuade each and every person to support the scientists working to end cancer, and this initiative gives legions of Star Wars fans fun and easy ways to do that.”
The Use the Force for Good campaign launched on September 15, 2011, kicking off with a video featuring celebs recreating classic scenes from the Star Wars series. Celebrities involved in the campaign include Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, and Star Wars veteran Samuel L. Jackson.
Star Wars fans can bid on exclusive items on eBay with proceeds going to benefit Stand Up To Cancer. Items up for bid on ebay.com/usetheforceforgood< include a "one-of-a-kind Star Wars edition 2012 Volkswagen Passat and a once-in-a-lifetime experience: dinner with prominent Bay Area filmmakers George Lucas, Chris Columbus, Francis Ford Coppola, Philip Kaufman and John Lasseter.”
The charity auctions began on September 16th and will run through 4:00 p.m. PDT on September 23, 2011.
Other fundraising efforts include:
-a line of Stand Up To Cancer Star Wars t-shirts. The shirts feature iconic Star Wars artwork alongside SU2C’s signature upward arrows, with slogans like “Blast Cancer” and “Use the Force for Good.” The t-shirts are available at store.standup2cancer.org/shop.
-Major League Baseball promotions with Star Wars-themed nights. According to the press release, “the special events will offer Star Wars themed ticket packages with a portion of proceeds benefiting SU2C. Most packages will include appearances by Star Wars costumed characters, VIP fan photo ops, giveaways and the Star Wars Stand Up To Cancer exclusive t-shirts.” MLB has donated $30 million to SU2C since 2008. For more information, visit MLB.com/StarWars.
About Stand Up To Cancer:
“Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) — a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c) (3) charitable organization — raises funds to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. SU2C facilitates collaboration among the best and the brightest in the cancer research community. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., conduct rigorous, competitive review processes through which SU2C’s grantees are selected.
By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C generates awareness and builds grassroots support for this new approach to ending cancer.”
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