Target joins UNICEF in new health charity initiative

Target is combining trends on fitness and wearables, gamification and the kind of corporate citizenship millennials and younger generations love by teaming up with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to help bring UNICEF Kid Power to households and students across the country.



To kick-off the partnership, Target will be the exclusive retailer of the Kid Power Band — the world’s first “wearable-for-good.”



“As part of Target’s focus on wellness solutions, we aspire to improve the health of the nation by making wellness a way of life. We also intend to build on our legacy work in education and hunger relief to focus on youth wellness, both in and out of school, and engage a whole new generation in being global citizens,” stated Laysha Ward, Target’s chief corporate social responsibility officer. “Partnering on programs like UNICEF Kid Power is just one of many ways we’re meeting our guests, team and communities where they live, learn, work and play."



The U.S. Fund for UNICEF first introduced UNICEF Kid Power in February as an innovative child health initiative that encourages elementary school-age kids in the United States to get physically active in order to help save the lives of their peers in developing countries. The initiative is designed to leverage the power of technology together with movement-based curriculum and activities to promote fitness among American students. Kid Power will simultaneously help UNICEF — the world’s largest purchaser and distributor of ready-to-use therapeutic food — provide lifesaving nutrition to severely malnourished children around the world.



“I can’t think of a better motivator for kids to get active than the fact that they’re helping save lives," commented Caryl Stern, president U.S. Fund for UNICEF, at the time of the announcement.