Tony Hawk, Nicole Richie and Fall Out Boy are on a mission to “re-gift” the classic fruitcake this Christmas with a new charity application on Facebook.
“The fruitcake has always been a bad gift. You never eat it or keep it. You just always end up re-gifting it,” said skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. “This year we’re changing the fruitcake and making it a symbol of giving and charity.”
Two-pound fruitcake bricks will be given away through a PayPal application on Facebook to benefit the stars’ favorite charities. Recipients will be invited via a personal video to contribute through PayPal to the charities and “re-gift” the fruitcake to friends and family all across the world.
“We’re trying out different kinds of technology and approaches to get people involved and learn about causes,” said Joel Madden. “This time, it’s a fruitcake.”
Celebrities will kick off the fruitcake’s virtual voyage starting with 10 friends each. As the fruitcakes make their way across Facebook, recipients can choose to donate to the celebrity’s cause or continue the fruitcake’s journey simply by re-gifting to friends for free. The Re-gift the Fruitcake program is presented by PayPal, which will make a $20,000 donation to each celebrity charity.
The charities that will benefit from the initiative include the Tony Hawk Foundation, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, the Yao Ming Foundation, the Richie Madden Children's Foundation, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, and Invisible Children.
“By re-gifting this fruitcake you will help build more than 8,000 Classrooms and give children the education they deserve,” said Houston Rockets’ Center Yao Ming.
The initiative can be accessed through http://apps.facebook.com/regiftthefruitcake or www.regiftthefruitcake.com.
