Star-Studded Fourth Annual Moms +SocialGood Kicks off Global Moms Relay to Benefit Women & Children Around the World

In celebration of Mother’s Day, hundreds of corporate and community leaders, celebrities, experts, and every day moms and dads gathered at the New York Times Center to kick off the Global Mom’s Relay with the fourth annual Moms +SocialGood event on May 5, 2016. This yearly, one-of-a-kind event celebrates the power of moms and families, as well as the role of social media in improving the quality of life for children across the globe.

The theme for this year’s Moms +SocialGood event – “What do you wish were true for every child, everywhere” – brought to light some challenges faced by children and families with unmet needs, and the uniting desire to see children succeed and for the empowerment of mothers everywhere.

Panels featuring experts and influential speakers such as Ambassador Samantha Power, Christy Turlington Burns, Amanda Peet, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, David Muir, Nigel Barker, Juju Chang, Thon Chol, Mari Malek, Lynda Lopez, Alaa Murabit, Dr. Richard Besser, and many more provided insight and guidance on how everyone can turn small actions into successful solutions for creating a better world and a brighter future.

The Global Mom Relay, which takes place from May 4 – June 17 2016, is a charitable social media movement that raises funds for the improvement of children’s health and wellbeing through such non-profit organizations as Nothing But Nets, Shot@ Life, Girl Up, Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund, and U.S. Fund for UNICEF. The movement is driven by the publication of personal stories from community leaders, influencers and every day moms and dads.

This movement allows women of all abilities to act as leaders within their communities. “When [women] feel there is a role to play and an opportunity to engage, there are no limitations,” said Christy Turlington Burns, founder of Every Mother Counts.

All women are encouraged to participate through social media sharing and buzz generation using the hashtag #GlobalMomsRelay and #JNJ. Sharing and engagements directly result in charitable donations, giving everyone the opportunity to change lives and support families lives one social media post at a time.

More inspirational quotes from influential leaders featured in the Moms +SocialGood event include:

“Education for all boys and girls is an investment for our collective security and our shared humanity” – Ambassador Samantha Power, United States Ambassador to the UN

“Men have to be able to empower women, it’s not just women & girl empowering each other.” – Mari Malek, Model and Activist

“What will I tell my kids I did in one of the greatest crises of our time?” – Aaron Sherinian, United Nations Foundation Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

“All of us here today have one thing in common…the desire to unlock the power of moms and families to create a better future for our communities, and for children everywhere. – Michael Sneed Vice President for Global Corporate Affairs, Johnson & Johnson

“Let’s give girls their own future, let’s give girls the gift of education”- Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the US Fund for UNICEF

“My daughter gives me hope! What kind of person can I help her grow up to be?” – Lynda Lopez Co-Founder, Lopez Family Foundation

“Men need to man up for women’s rights” – Nigel Barker Photographer and Girl Up Champion

“Moms need to help other moms struggling with challenges” – Kimberly Williams-Paisley Actress and Author

“It’s infuriating that we have the medicine yet one and a half million children a year die of vaccine-preventable disease” – Amanda Peet Actor and Shot@Life Ambassador

“The sisterhood of motherhood is a universal connection The tug you feel to protect your child is a universal instinct”- Ilina Ewen, Blogger and Shot@Life Advocate

“This generation of women are more equip to take on the challenge of fighting for their education,”- Amy Gong Liu, Girl Up Teen Advisor

###

Press contacts:

UN Foundation: Raki Wane, rwane@unfoundation.org

Johnson & Johnson: Nadia Mostafa, Nmostafa@ITS.JNJ.com

About Moms +SocialGood

Moms +SocialGood is a one-day event dedicated to the power of moms and families to create a better future for their communities, and the role of social media and philanthropy to boost health and happiness for moms and babies everywhere. Hundreds of the brightest and most passionate people will gather on May 5, 2016 at the New York Times Center in Manhattan to share ideas and inspire action for improving the health and wellbeing of women and children. Hosted by the United Nations Foundation and Johnson & Johnson, this unique gathering will focus the world’s attention on ways to address some of the greatest health challenges affecting women and children today. Anyone, from anywhere, will be able to participate in the dialogue by tuning into the discussion via live stream and social media. www.MomsPlusSocialGood.org

About the Global Moms Relay

The United Nations Foundation and Johnson & Johnson, with support from BabyCenter, Global Citizen, Father.ly and Charity Miles, bring you the Global Moms Relay, showing that small actions can lead to big changes in tackling the world’s most critical challenges for kids. From May 4 to June 17, 2016 (just before Mother’s Day through Father’s Day), 25 celebrities, community leaders, or everyday moms and dads, will share a personal story on what they wish were true for every child, everywhere, and then “pass the baton” to the next contributor. Each time you share one of these posts via social media, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 (per action up to $350,00) to help improve the health and wellbeing of moms and kids worldwide through Nothing But Nets, Shot@Life, Girl Up, Let Girls Learn Peace Corps Fund and U.S. Fund for UNICEF. For more information, visit www.GlobalMomsRelay.org. Through the Donate a Photo mobile app*, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 per photo up to another $200,000 to Nothing But Nets, Girl Up, Let Girls Learn Peace Corps Fund and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

* via the Donate A Photo app for iOS and Android. Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn’t reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation