Star Wars creator George Lucas and Lucasfilm are joining forces with celebrities, eBay, and Major League Baseball (MLB) in an effort to stand up to cancer with the “Use the Force for Good” campaign in support of Stand Up To Cancer, or SU2C.
SU2C funds groundbreaking cancer research that will provide patients with new therapies quickly, saving lives. “Lucasfilm joining with eBay, Major League Baseball and a wonderful group of actors is an amazing force for good being brought to bear in Stand Up To Cancer’s fight against this disease, and we are profoundly grateful,” said SU2C co-founder Sue Schwartz.
She adds, “With one in two men and one in three women diagnosed in their lifetimes, cancer affects us all. SU2C’s mission is to persuade each and every person to support the scientists working to end cancer, and this initiative gives legions of Star Wars fans fun and easy ways to do that.”
Lucas’ campaign launches today with a video that features celebrity Star Wars enthusiasts encouraging fans to join Lucasfilm in donating to the important cause. The celebrities involved in the campaign include SU2C ambassadors Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, and Star Wars actor Samuel L. Jackson.
The celebs will be recreating classic Star Wars scenes as part of the campaign to raise awareness and the all-star video will be showing on the Star Wars YouTube channel. [See the hilarious video here via YouTube.]
Additionally, eBay will provide its 97 million active members access to an exclusive online destination where Stars Wars fans can bid on rare and one-of-a-kind Star Wars items and experiences, including a Star Wars edition 2012 Volkswagen Passat and a dinner with legendary Bay Area filmmakers (and several fellow Haute 100 San Francisco members) George Lucas, Chris Columbus, Francis Ford Coppola, Philip Kaufman and John Lasseter. All charity auctions will begin on September 16th at 4:00 p.m. PDT, and continue until 4:00 p.m. PDT on September 23rd.
Throughout the month of September, select MLB Clubs across the U.S. will feature Stand up To Cancer/Star Wars-themed nights, as well as Star Wars-themed ticket packages with exclusive giveaways, events, custom T-shirts, and more. MLB was one of SU2C’s founding donors in 2008, totaling more that $30 million in donations to the organization to date.
“We are thrilled to be using the launch of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray as a call to action for our fans to Use the Force for Good,” said Kayleen Walters, Senior Director of Marketing at Lucasfilm. “We are happy to use the power of Star Wars to support this noble cause.”
Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets. To see the entire Haute 100 San Francisco list, click here.
