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Since its inception, Comic Relief -- the UK-based charity that started Red Nose Day -- has raised nearly $1.5 billion through its biennial event, according to a BBC report.
This year, for the first time, it will host a similar event in the United States.
One of the 12 organizations selected by Comic Relief to benefit from the three-hour fundraiser, the Fairfield-based global nonprofit Save the Children.
“Save the Children has been a part of Red Nose Day in the UK for years,” said Eileen Burke, senior director of media and communications for Save The Children. “When Comic Relief approached us about being a part of Red Nose Day in the US, we jumped at it.”
Save the Children raises money to invest in children’s futures around the world. According to Burke, the charitable organization has seen great success in the past, through similar events such as "Idol Gives Back," the "American Idol" televised fundraiser that took place in three of their seasons.
Burke said the money raised through "Idol Gives Back" helped Save the Children fund the first ever rural preschool program in Mozambique.
“Before that, only 4 percent of children in the country attended preschool, most of them in urban areas,” she added. The program was so successful, the World Bank evaluated the program and provided funding to the Mozambique government to roll out the program across the country.
“We were able to do it all because of the funding we got from Americans tuning in,” Burke said. “It illustrates the power of having a lot of people giving a little can do.”
Red Nose Day in the U.S. will be held May 21 and include a long list of celebrities who will perform. Save the Children, along with the other 11 charities, are working closely with Comic Relief to deliver their proposals for their plans to use the benefit money.
In the spirit of transparency, Comic Relief provides updates through its website to let donors know where their money has been spent and how successful those programs have been.
“We hope everyone in Fairfield County will tune in and give generously,” Burke added. “Remember, you can visit a classroom in Millville, or one under a tree in Uganda, but the common language being spoken is laughter. That’s what makes [Red Nose Day] the perfect fundraiser.”
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