Lakewood, NJ- April 1, 2014 – National youth charity Kars4Kids launched an innovative awareness campaign today to educate parents on the negative impact their mobile phone use can have on their children. Catching the public’s attention with a shocking April Fool’s prank that broadcast on over fifty radio stations nationwide and spread online, the campaign message is estimated to reach millions of parents across the country.
On April 1, Kars4Kids introduced their new division, Kids4Kars, a kid donation program. The nonprofit’s widely-recognized and long-running radio jingle was changed, sending listeners to a new website, www.kids4kars.org. Claiming to accept donations of children “in any condition,” the Kids4Kars program offered a free, lifetime vacation to all donors.
It was only upon submitting a donation form that donors were hit with the true purpose of the Kids4Kars campaign. “April Fools!” read the confirmation message. “You didn’t think we were serious, did you? We are, when it comes to helping children.” The page continues with a powerful call to parents to turn off their devices to spend quality time with their children, citing research from the Boston Medical Center that 73 percent of parents are distracted by their devices during mealtime with their children, a time traditionally reserved for family bonding.
“We felt that we needed to hit hard to get the gravity of the message across,” says Kars4Kids spokesperson Morris Franco. “With the increasing temptations of our mobile devices, it’s harder and harder to stay focused on our children, which can have serious implications for their development. The shock value of an April Fools prank allowed us to wake parents up to the damage they can do to their children by focusing on their devices instead of their kids.”
Kars4Kids is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to give back to the community through a variety of education, youth development, family outreach and faith-based programs. The charity provides an array of services to children and families including educational programming, school placement, tuition assistance, mentorship programs, cultural activities, religious instruction, recreation and guidance counseling.
