As part of his support of education reform, John Legend will headline a Procter & Gamble Co. promotion to benefit dropout prevention.
The crooner has filmed commercials that will air ahead of P&G coupon insert booklets with him on the cover alongside schoolchildren that will be in Sunday newspapers on July 31. The promotion by the Cincinnati-based consumer products giant will include Facebook and other online efforts to raise money for the Communities in Schools organization’s efforts to keep children in school.
Legend has focused much of his charitable work on improving education, which he calls “a civil rights issue for our time.” He said there’s a dropout crisis in some impoverished communities, making it harder to break the cycle of poverty. He’s also concerned about what he sees as politically motivated efforts to weaken teachers’ unions in his native Ohio and other states.
“I believe that making sure that every kid has a quality education is the key to making sure that every kid has the opportunity to pursue the American dream,” Legend told The Associated Press.
P&G’s Jim Leish, director of U.S. operations, said Legend is a good choice for the promotion. “At the end of the day, he has a history of helping this cause,” Leish said. “We’re more focused with his ability to drive awareness of what we can do to keep millions of kids in school.”
EURweb.com
