It’s part Saturday Night Live, part Patch Adams, part Oscars and entirely community impact.

Our friends across the pond know it as Red Nose Day. Since it began in the UK in 1988, it has raised over $1 billion to support children and young people living in poverty.

In 2015, the United States will participate in Red Nose Day for the first time ever by hosting a nationwide telethon that will air live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on May 21, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC.

In the spirit of “doing something fun to raise awareness,” the three-hour telethon will feature some of America’s favorite comedic minds, musicians and celebrities while highlighting impactful stories from across the nation.

United Way is excited to be one of 12 nonprofit partners selected to participate in the inaugural Red Nose Day USA event. Funds raised through Red Nose Day USA will be allocated to each of the partners to help support outstanding early learning initiatives for low-income families.

Recognizing that young people experiencing the difficulties of poverty affects everyone’s quality of life, United Way locally supports the mission of Red Nose Day through initiatives like Success By 6, RealSense and 2-1-1. These initiatives provide resources in education, income and health to assist children and families living in poverty.

Get Involved

We’re showing our support of #RedNose Day, but since this star-studded event is all about having fun while making an impact, we want you to join us. Grab your red nose from Walgreens and participate in Red Nose Day USA as a #LiveUnited partner in any or all of the following ways:

• Wear a red nose to work. When your inevitably curious coworkers ask why, let people know that you’re supporting education, income and health with United Way of Northeast Florida.
• Wear a red nose to a volunteer project.
• Change your social media profile pictures to your favorite selfie. Wear a red nose for a new picture, or Photoshop one on an old fave.
• Host a watch party and make the admission fee a contribution to the telethon.

…and most importantly,

• Share it all with us on Twitter by tagging @unitedwaynefl and using the hashtag #RedNose!