USA TODAY Continues 'Spirit of the USA' Charity Program As Part of Newspaper's 25th Anniversary Celebration

USA TODAY Continues 'Spirit of the USA' Charity Program As Part of Newspaper's 25th Anniversary Celebration

MusiCares(R) highlighted today

MCLEAN, Va., June 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of USA TODAY's 25th anniversary celebration, USA TODAY continues its "Spirit of the USA" 25-week charity program that highlights a different charity each week for 25 weeks.

The program began on March 30th and will continue every Friday through September 14th as USA TODAY thanks America for its support over the past 25 years by saluting the nation's generosity. USA TODAY has selected 25 charities and will celebrate the work of one charity per week for 25 weeks both in print and online via a signature USA TODAY Snapshot as well as on a special 25th anniversary web site on http://www.usatoday.com/.

This week's highlighted charity is MusiCares(R). Established in 1989 by The Recording Academy(R), MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community.

"MusiCares was established to provide a broad range of critical assistance to music people in need," said Neil Portnow, President of the MusiCares Foundation(R) and The Recording Academy. "There are individuals in our community who suffer personal crises everyday -- from household names to people who never make the headlines -- and they all are deserving of our attention and assistance."

Readers are encouraged to learn more about MusiCares by viewing the Snapshot on today's front page of USA TODAY and on http://www.usatoday.com/ as well as by visiting http://www.musicares.com/.

Other charities scheduled to appear as part of the "Spirit of the USA" program are: The Nature Conservancy, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Ducks Unlimited, The Humane Society of the United States, Goodwill Industries International, Habitat for Humanity International, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Hole in the Wall Camps, First Book, Gilda's Club, Special Olympics, VH1 Save the Music Foundation and American Red Cross. Big Brothers Big Sisters, Thanks USA, Earth Day Network, NARSAD: The Mental Health Research Association, American Diabetes Association, Hispanic College Fund, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Disabled American Veterans, the Arbor Day Foundation and America's Second Harvest were previously highlighted.

"USA TODAY wanted to find a way to give back to the nation during our 25th anniversary celebration by celebrating causes that are closest to the hearts of Americans. We selected charities that represented a broad range of interests including environment, health, animals, arts, education, human services, and public benefits. We hope our readers will join us in saluting these charities," said Susan Lavington, senior vice president of marketing, USA TODAY.

USA TODAY, the nation's top-selling newspaper, will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on September 15th, 2007. It is published via satellite at 36 locations in the USA and at four sites abroad. With a total average daily circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. USA TODAY is published by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) . The USA TODAY brand also includes: USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information Web site that is updated 24 hours per day; USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a magazine for enthusiasts of professional football and baseball; and USA TODAY LIVE, the television arm of the USA TODAY brand that brings the spirit and quality of the newspaper to television.

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FCMN Contact:

Source: USA TODAY

CONTACT: Heidi Zimmerman, Director-Communications, +1-703-854-5304,
hzimmerman@usatoday.com, or Alexandra Nicholson, Manager-Communications,
+1-703-854-5872, anicholson@usatoday.com, both of USA TODAY

Web site: http://www.usatoday.com/
http://www.musicares.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment