NEW YORK, Nov. 24 -- A FOX Thanksgiving Day television special called "Kaleidoscope" presented by sanofi-aventis U.S. reminds viewers that the holidays are a time to be grateful for many developments in the battle against cancer and for all those who fight that battle each day as survivors, caregivers, and advocates. The 90 minute special will feature the historic return to the ice of cancer survivors Scott Hamilton and Dorothy Hamill and a moving number from Olivia Newton-John and David Foster who will perform "Hope is Always Here," a song written by children involved with Purple Songs Can Fly – a unique project that enables kids with cancer to work with professional composers to write and record their own music.
"I am very excited about being a part of Kaleidoscope and performing this very powerful piece of music written by children faced with cancer," said Newton-John. "As a cancer survivor and health advocate, this will be a particularly memorable performance for me."
Purple Songs Can Fly provides a creative and cathartic musical outlet for children at Texas Children's Cancer Center. This exceptional program gives children the opportunity to share their music with friends and family in the form of individual CD recordings, a tangible symbol for the hope of healing.
"It is an incredible honor to take the heartfelt lyrics of amazing and courageous children and turn them into a poignant song with Olivia [Newton-John]. Performing this song with Olivia and the kids was the icing on the cake for a spectacular evening, making Kaleidoscope a truly unforgettable program," said Foster.
"David Foster and Olivia Newton-John have had such a meaningful impact on this project and made one of our songs fly in such a unique way. We appreciate the support of everyone involved with Kaleidoscope, helping bring attention to issues impacting women and children with cancer," said Anita Kruse, founder and executive director of Purple Songs Can Fly.
You can support Purple Songs Can Fly by downloading "Hope is Always Here" from any major online music retailer including iTunes and Amazon.com. Proceeds go directly to support Purple Songs Can Fly.
In addition to performances from legendary skaters and cancer survivors Dorothy Hamill and Scott Hamilton, Kaleidoscope will also feature Olympic hopefuls Ashley Wagner and Rachael Flatt, the two top ranked women in US figure skating, the top ranked dance team of Meryl Davis and Charlie White, as well as Olympic Champions Kristi Yamaguchi and Viktor Petrenko, two-time Olympic Medalist Nancy Kerrigan and music from American Idol runner-ups David Archuleta and Katharine McPhee.
The show taped at Verizon Center in Washington D.C. on Monday, November 16 in front of a live audience, 85% of whom were cancer survivors, and will air nationally on FOX on November 26, 2009 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. EST, immediately following the FOX Thanksgiving Day football telecast. Check your local listings.
About Purple Songs Can Fly
Purple Songs Can Fly is a unique project that provides a musical outlet for the many children being treated for cancer and blood disorders at Texas Children's Cancer Center and their siblings. The children's songs are copied on purple CDs and flown by participating passengers, pilots and astronauts to places on earth and into space. To date, over 150 songs have been written, recorded and flown around the globe. For more information, visit www.purplesongscanfly.org.
About Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope – presented in part by sanofi-aventis US – is a program designed to recognize women and the key role they play in the battle against cancer - as patients, caregivers, and advocates. Its mission is to address issues surrounding women and cancer by helping educate women to be proactive with their health and by honoring all cancer survivors, including the more than 713,000* women who are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. This effort is being supported by an unprecedented collaboration with 10 nationwide advocacy partners.
About Edge Health
Kaleidoscope is the creation of Mike Burg, CEO of Edge Health, LLC, who developed the program after twice winning the battle against Hodgkin's disease. Edge Health is a Charlotte, N.C.-based multi-media communications company that develops and delivers critical health-related messaging interwoven into entertainment platforms nationwide. It is a sister company to Edge Entertainment, a marketing and production firm that specializes in entertainment and sports specials for broadcast, and Olympic sport arena tours. The Edge broadcast portfolio includes the "Teen Choice Awards" on FOX, the "Kids Choice Awards" on Nickelodeon, "Ice Wars" on CBS, the Award Winning "Frosted Pink" on ABC, "Hope Rocks" on FOX, and the "Action Sports Awards" on FOX. For more information, call 704-335-0051 or visit www.edgehealth.com.
* SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2006, National Cancer Institute.
SOURCE Edge Health
