Join Marlo Thomas during "Yalla, Together for St. Jude" on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. ET for a Founder's Day celebration of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 4, join a virtual Founder's Day celebration of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital(®) called Yalla, Together for St. Jude. Special guests include Marlo Thomas, St. Jude National Outreach Director and daughter of hospital founder Danny Thomas.

Yalla, Together for St. Jude on Feb. 4 will honor the legacy of the original St. Jude founders.

Tamsen Fadal, a 12-time Emmy winner and Lebanese-American co-anchor for PIX11 News, will host the event, which includes special performances and appearances from artists Nick Maloof, Matt Mardini, Amine J. Hachem, Raneem Imam, DJ Cyril, Yasmine Al Massri and Kenza Fourati. Also attending will be St. Jude faculty member Sima Jeha, MD, Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Region for St. Jude Global, and a St. Jude patient family from Syria.

The story of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital begins with Danny Thomas, a beloved American, entertainer and humanitarian born in Deerfield, Mich., who took great pride in his Lebanese heritage. He used his career success to help some of those most in need - children dying from life-threatening diseases like cancer. His vision of a children's hospital that delivered pioneering research and lifesaving treatment at no cost to patients struck a chord with generous people, especially with his fellow Americans of Arab backgrounds.

Thomas proposed that the second and third generations of Americans from Lebanese, Syrian and Arab heritage unite behind a spirit of gratitude to say 'thank you' to God and 'thank you' to the United States of America for allowing his parents and others the opportunity to come to this country to make a living. Together, they would help take care of some of the world's sickest children by raising the funds to build St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and sustain its growth.

In 1957, five years before St. Jude opened, approximately 100 Americans of Arabic-speaking heritage joined Thomas in Chicago to create the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC). The organization's sole mission remains the same today: to raise the funds and awareness needed to support St. Jude. When St. Jude opened in 1962, the overall childhood cancer survival rate was 20 percent. Today, it is more than 80 percent.

Yalla, Together for St. Jude will take place on St. Jude Founder's Day to honor the legacy of these original founders while bringing together current and new supporters of the mission: Finding cures. Saving children.(®) Danny Thomas' family legacy lives on - not only through Marlo Thomas, but also his other grown children - Tony and Terre, and his grandchildren - who support ALSAC fundraising and awareness activities year-round.

Thanks to community support, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food - because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. To make a donation and support the Yalla fundraising challenge to raise $50,000, visit stjude.org/yalla.

Pre-registration is required for this virtual event. Visit stjude.org/yalla to learn more.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital(®
)St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.(®) It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food - because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

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SOURCE ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital