NEW YORK, May 2 /PRNewswire/ - Neil Cole announced today the formation of The Candie's Foundation and unveiled The Foundation's public service advertising campaign. The mission of The Candie's Foundation is to educate teens about the consequences of teenage pregnancy, bringing it into the national consciousness through a public awareness initiative that aims to reduce the high teen pregnancy rate in the United States.

Neil Cole, one of the Directors of The Candie's Foundation, envisions a massive public awareness initiative using celebrities as role models. ``We want to increase awareness with teens through this creative approach. These artists know how to reach Gen Y, and we believe the honesty and directness of this campaign, with a consistently delivered message, will have a positive impact on teenagers who face important decisions about sex.''

Teen icons, Destiny's Child, Jenny McCarthy, *NSYNC, 98 Degrees and Macy Gray are some of the artist featured in the first public service announcements, which will appear in Fall 2001 fashion, entertainment and lifestyle magazines such as Teen People, YM, CosmoGirl, InStyle and Honey. The print ads targeted to teenagers, will feature a photograph of the celebrities who deliver a positive message with a strong statement followed by compelling statistics about teen pregnancy:
* be independent -don't depend on him. Nearly 80% of fathers of babies born to teen mothers do not marry their babies' mothers.

* be sexy -it doesn't mean you have to have sex. One million teenage girls will become pregnant this year.

* be productive -not reproductive. If you have unprotected sex, you have an 85% chance of getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant within one year.

* be vocal -say no way. Four in ten girls will experience at least one pregnancy before reaching age 20.

* be smart -don't give up your education. Less than one-third of teen mothers receive a high school diploma.


Sarah Brown, Campaign Director of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, stated, ``We applaud The Candie's Foundation for its effort to bring national attention to the problem of teen pregnancy. Despite recent declines, the United States still has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world. In fact, 4 out of 10 girls get pregnant at least once by age 20. We need to help young people better understand that sex has consequences. Enlisting media stars to help deliver this message can make a big difference to young people who look up to them as role models.''

On June 5th, at Roseland Ballroom -

239 W. 52nd St. between Broadway and Eighth Ave., a live concert featuring pop, hip-hop and rock stars will benefit The Candie's Foundation. Destiny's Child, *NSYNC, Macy Gray and 98 Degrees will perform in a mega event, hosted by Jenny McCarthy, with additional special guests. The goal for the evening is to raise $500,000 for The Candie's Foundation, a not-for profit organization -501(c)(3) status pending. The tickets are priced at three levels: $300 -full concert; $500 -concert and pre-party at Roseland; and $1,000 -pre-party, concert and post-party at Studio 54.

Established in 2001, the goal of The Candie's Foundation is to raise awareness about the problem of teenage pregnancy in the United States, which has the highest teen pregnancy and birth rates of any fully industrialized nation. The Candie's Foundation is set up to reach teens through public awareness campaigns, which promote self-respect, responsibility and education. By utilizing the dialogue that celebrities have with teens, the focus of The Candie's Foundation is to improve the lives and prospects of teenagers by helping to prevent unwanted teen pregnancy.

For additional information go to Here

Photos from the press conference announcing The Candie's Foundation will be posted on Here available after 6:00 p.m. this evening.