Second Annual “Global Moms Relay” Unites the Strength of Mothers to Help Women and Children Around the World

The “virtual relay” brings leading voices together to help improve the health and well-being of mothers and children worldwide

To mark International Women’s Day, the United Nations Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, BabyCenter, and The Huffington Post are launching the Global Moms Relay today through Mother’s Day on May 11. The Global Moms Relay is a virtual relay whose purpose is to inspire moms in the U.S. to take actions that help improve the lives of mothers and children around the world.

“We all know that moms have the power to change the world – in their communities, homes and hemispheres,” says Aaron Sherinian, vice president of communications and public relations at the UN Foundation. “The Global Moms Relay gives moms, as global change makers, a chance to make a difference in the lives of women and children around the world by mobilizing their voices and their networks. Their stories and their actions will drive awareness and action on some of the most urgent issues of our time as we support the UN and its partners in building a better, healthier world for everyone, everywhere.”

Following the success of last year’s relay, a number of inspirational voices are joining the conversation this year, including Amanda Peet, Annie Lennox, Priyanka Chopra, and Toyin Saraki, who will share their stories of how a mom changed their lives. Each time a post is shared through social networks, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to raise up to $250,000* to support one of three global initiatives:

• The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA): For millions of mothers living in poverty, access to vital health information is a matter of life or death. MAMA delivers important and actionable health messages to new and expectant mothers so they can keep themselves and their babies healthy;
• Shot@Life: Every 20 seconds a child dies from a vaccine-preventable disease, such as pneumonia or measles. The Shot@Life campaign works to protect children worldwide by providing life-saving vaccines;
• Girl Up: Medical complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls ages 15-19 worldwide—the majority of these girls are married. Girl Up is a campaign that inspires teens to raise awareness and funds for UN programs that help girls around the world have a chance to go to school, see a doctor, and stay safe from violence.

The Global Moms Relay co-chairs include Jennifer Lopez, actress, singer, and co-founder of the Lopez Family Foundation; Lynda Lopez, journalist and co-Founder of the Lopez Family Foundation; Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group; Pat Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of the Paley Center for Media; Sarah Colamarino, vice president, strategic partnerships for Johnson & Johnson; and Aaron Sherinian, vice president of communications and public relations at the United Nations Foundation.

“Moms everywhere all want the same thing for their children, which is to keep them safe and healthy, and raise them in an environment that allows them to reach their full potential,” says Sarah Colamarino. “This is at the heart and soul of Johnson & Johnson and we are excited to help bring moms together to improve the lives of women and children.”

“At BabyCenter, we provide moms with trusted advice – and foster friendships with other moms – empowering them, no matter their personal situation, geography or resources,” said Colleen Hancock, BabyCenter’s Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to harnessing the power of our 37 million moms by creating a Global Moms Relay blog channel and sweepstakes, inspiring moms to share their personal stories of making the world a better place, activating other moms to do the same, and triggering social action and donations on a grand scale.”

While the challenges are monumental, there is hope. By raising awareness and funds, we can together help improve the health of women and children around the world in support of the UN Secretary-General’s Every Woman Every Child movement. Join the Global Moms Relay to change lives and create a better, healthier world for generations to come.

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*Johnson & Johnson will donate up to $250,000 for social media likes and shares and photos shared via the “Donate A Photo” app.

For more information on Global Moms Relay, please visit www.globalmomsrelay.org. If you’re a member of the media and would like to schedule an interview, please contact Eric Porterfield at eporterfield@unfoundation.org or +1-202-352-6087.

About BabyCenter® LLC
BabyCenter® is the voice of the 21st Century Mom® and modern motherhood. It’s the #1 pregnancy and parenting digital destination worldwide, reaching more than 37 million moms monthly in 11 languages across 14 owned and operated digital properties from Australia to India to China. In the United States, 7 in 10 babies born last year were BabyCenter babies. BabyCenter is the world’s partner in parenting, providing moms everywhere with trusted advice from hundreds of experts around the globe, friendship with other moms like them, and support that’s remarkably right at every stage of their child’s development. BabyCenter also works with some of the world’s most prominent brands and institutions to provide life-stage marketing solutions and a direct line to highly engaged moms. BabyCenter is a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

About Johnson & Johnson
Caring for the world one person at a time inspires and unites the people of Johnson & Johnson. We embrace research and science – bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people. Our approximately 128,000 employees at more than 275 Johnson & Johnson operating companies work with partners in health care to touch the lives of over a billion people throughout the world every day. For more information, visit www.jnj.com.

About The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is a Pulitzer Prize-winning source of breaking news, features, and entertainment, as well as a highly engaged community for opinion and conversation. The Huffington Post has 94 million monthly global unique visitors (comScore, November 2013) with more than 40% coming from outside the US. The site has over 50,000 bloggers — from politicians, students and celebrities to academics, parents and policy experts — who contribute in real-time on the subjects they are most passionate about and the site posts over eight million comments each month. The Huffington Post has editions in the UK, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Maghreb, and Germany. The Huffington Post is part of AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL).

About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org