MySpace and PayPal: Give Money To The Cheerleader, Save The World (Or At Least The Whales)

MySpace and PayPal have teamed up to create "donation widgets" that will allow the same people who hit your page up for drunken pictures of your 'neathage to contribute to Breast Cancer Research funds. Or something like that. To inspire the masses, MySpace and PayPal have enlisted a coterie of young things: Hayden Panettiere, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff and Vanessa Hudgens. All these stars have installed the widgets on their pages -- and are helping to promote a contest that includes weekly prizes and $20,000 in cash. So now you don't have to feel completely dirty about perusing the pages of underage stars. SAN JOSE and LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- September 24, 2008 -- PayPal and MySpace, the world's premiere social network, today announced the MySpace IMPACT / PayPal fundraising widget, a new tool that allows people to collect donations from their friends and family for non-profit organizations. To celebrate the new widget, PayPal and MySpace are announcing a contest for customers and non-profits, featuring weekly prizes and $20,000 cash. Any non-profit or individual can visit www.myspace.com/paypal to create a customized widget that can be virally copied and replicated on anyone's MySpace page, creating a ripple effect for good. Many young celebrities are already using the fundraising widget to help raise money and awareness, including: * The Jonas Brothers: www.myspace.com/jonasbrothers * Miley Cyrus: www.myspace.com/mileycyrus * Hilary Duff: www.myspace.com/hilaryduff * Vanessa Hudgens: www.myspace.com/vanessahudgens The fundraising widget is also currently driving donations for Variety's Power of Youth contest on MySpace and is helping Heroes star, Hayden Panettiere, in her efforts to "Save the Whales Again" through her support of the Whaleman Foundation. "PayPal and MySpace have played an important part in helping to raise thousands of dollars for the Whaleman Foundation, an effort I greatly appreciate because saving the whales and our world's marine life means so much to me personally," said Hayden Panettiere, star of NBC television program Heroes. "MySpace's social networking and multimedia tools are already invaluable resources for nonprofits, who use them to reach our global audience of more than 120 million users," said Liba Rubenstein, Manager of Public Affairs for MySpace IMPACT, MySpace's hub for social and civic engagement. "Our partnership with PayPal allows members of MySpace's global community to take action and make a positive impact on the world around them. We're proud to work with PayPal to democratize philanthropy and show the power of small donations to drive big results." The MySpace IMPACT Channel empowers MySpace users to make a difference in the world and allows non-profits, politicians and civic organizations to connect with MySpace's global audience. "Currently more than 100,000 non-profit organizations use PayPal, with more than 200 added to our system daily," said Judy Chang, Principal Product Manager for PayPal. "The MySpace IMPACT / PayPal fundraising widget makes it even easier for charities and people to connect, spread awareness of important causes and raise the money they need to make a difference." In addition to celebrities like Panettiere, companies that service the non-profit community are speaking out in support of the fundraising widget. "We bring celebrities and charities together to raise money for good causes," said Chris Noble, CEO of Kompolt. "The MySpace / PayPal partnership makes it even easier for us to help people support the campaigns that matter to them." MySpace/PayPal Contest Between now and October 13, 2008, PayPal and MySpace will award the person who raises the most money through the fundraising widget two tickets to the Grammys, and will offer non-profits the chance to win $20,000 in cash. Flip Video Mino Camcorders will also be given away to the individuals who raise the most money every week. More contest details and information are available at www.myspace.com/paypal.

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MySpace and PayPal: Give Money To The Cheerleader, Save The World (Or At Least The Whales)

Greg

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