Carnival Cruise Line Named St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s ‘Corporate Partner of the Year’

The work St. Jude does is amazing and this is a well-deserved honor for Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival Cruise Line – which has raised more than $16 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital over the past eight years and serves as its Official Celebration Partner – has been named the organization’s “Corporate Partner of the Year” for its outstanding support through innovative fundraising activities and engaging on-site events for patients.

The award was presented yesterday to Carnival President Christine Duffy by Richard Shadyac, Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Since the partnership began in 2010, Carnival Cruise Line has developed a variety of creative and unique ways to promote St. Jude’s amazing lifesaving work, part of its comprehensive Care to Play: Carnival for St. Jude Kids fleetwide program.

Most recently, St. Jude was prominently featured in the naming ceremony of the new Carnival Horizon whose Dreamscape LED atrium sculpture features colorful original artwork created by 33 St. Jude patients. Some of the talented artists and their families were recognized during the festivities which included poignant and moving comments from Shadyac and godmother Queen Latifah, a longtime supporter of St. Jude.

“St. Jude is an organization very near and dear to our hearts and to be recognized as their ‘Corporate Partner of the Year’ is a truly wonderful honor and a testament to the support and dedication of our more than 40,000 employees,” said Duffy. “We will continue to look for even more ways to support the hospital in their fight against childhood cancer,” she added.

“Our sincerest thanks to Christine and the entire Carnival Cruise Line team for the collaborative spirit in which they have approached our partnership not only over the last year, but throughout its entirety,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “They are all to be commended for their steadfast commitment to our lifesaving mission, raising critical funds to help expand it around the globe and for expressing so many acts of kindness and goodwill to so many of our patients and their families.”

Carnival’s fundraising efforts encompass initiatives like the Groove for St. Jude shipboard dance activity and the sale of sweets on board, including the Brownie Buoy ice cream flavor hand-picked by the kids of St. Jude and sold at the Carnival Vista’s Cherry on Top shop. The line also engages its guests in its St. Jude fundraising efforts through the annual Thanks and Giving campaign at its U.S. embarkation ports, doubling monies raised over the past two years.

Carnival also hosts an annual Day of Play, a themed in-hospital event with fun activities for kids and their families and while providing ongoing support through cruise giveaways, employee participation in the St. Jude Walk, event sponsorships and other initiatives.

Carnival’s employees and senior leadership are dedicated to supporting St. Jude as well, with Duffy serving on ALSAC’s Professional Advisory Board and personnel traveling to Memphis to host events and spend time with the children.