*GENERAL MEDIA RELEASE*

*Thursday 10 February, 2011*

*Purple Cake Day To Celebrate Children on March 1st*

*Children in Haiti the focus of Purple Cake Day 2011*

Haiti earthquake survivor Emily Sanson-Rejouis will launch Purple Cake Day on March 1st as a specific day to set aside every year to celebrate children and empower them to help children in need worldwide.

Nelsonian, Emily Sanson-Rejouis lost her husband Emmanuel and two daughters, Kofie-Jade (5) and Zenzie (3) in the Haiti earthquake a year ago on January 12, 2010. Following the earthquake, Emily established the Kenbe La Foundation (‘Kenbe La’ means “Never Give Up” in Haitian Creole), a registered charitable trust, to provide educational opportunities for children in need. The Foundation has since established Purple Cake Day.

Emily says Purple Cake Day is a chance for children around the world to be celebrated while they learn more about child poverty and think about ways of helping, while having some fun.

“It is important that we take the time to appreciate the children in our lives, to honour them and support them to be the best they can,” Emily says. “Purple Cake Day gives us a chance to focus on the children around us, have an excuse to go wild with purple, and learn more about how we can help children who are less fortunate.”

Emily says the Purple Cake Day focus for 2011 are the children of Haiti; a country devastated by a severe earthquake in January 2010, while already existing in extreme poverty.

“A year after the earthquake Haiti remains politically unstable and is struggling to rebuild, with most families still living in make-shift housing and with no schools for its children,” she says. “Purple Cake Day 2011 provides a chance for our children to focus on Haiti, learn about the country and the challenges its children face every day, and raise money for the Kenbe La Foundation that will directly go towards building a new school for a group of Haitian children.

“Purple Cake Day events will be creative and fun,” she says. “Children are encouraged to be inventive with their own ideas on what they can do to learn more about children in need, or to raise funds to make a difference. They can wear purple, bake and sell cupcakes, write messages of hope, have a purple concert, run a purple sports event, and more...the sky is the limit!

“We are also encouraging schools to run activities that help develop an understanding of challenges faced by children in need,” she says. “An educational school pack has been created and will be available for schools in mid February.”

Emily says Purple Cake Day is being launched in Nelson, although she says it is already gaining a life of its own outside the region.

“We are launching Purple Cake Day in Nelson as Nelson is my home town, and I would like to acknowledge the incredible support the community has given me over the past year,” she says.

“I have been overwhelmed by the love of the people in Nelson, and I hope Nelsonians really get behind Purple Cake Day and have some fun with their children, including coming along to our Purple Cake Day party on March 5 at the top end of Trafalgar St, featuring Craig Smith (Wonky Donkey), Kath Bee, a top Nelson rap star, talented child performers, a children's purple wearable art parade (supported by the World of WearableArt™) and a celebrity purple icing challenge.

“It is also fantastic to hear about Purple Cake Day events that are already being planned in other cities in New Zealand and around the world, such as London, Singapore, New York, Belgium, Haiti, Nigeria and the Congo ” she says. “It is clear that the needs of children around the world resonate with everyone, so I am rapt that people see Purple Cake Day as being relevant to them. People can read about what others are doing for the day on our Facebook page.

“Following the anticipated success of Purple Cake Day this year, we hope to broaden the concept for a worldwide launch next year.”

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*How to get involved in Purple Cake Day*

Individuals, families and community groups

People can do as little or as much as time allows! Some suggestions include:

• Promote unity and solidarity and wear purple on 1 March...dress in anything purple you can find - go wild with it!

• Celebrate and have fun by making, decorating and selling purple cupcakes - a delicious and easy way to spread the message and raise funds for Purple Cake Day.

• Organise your own Purple Cake Day activity - Have a purple disco, host a purple dinner with friends and family, paint a purple artwork, anything goes.

• Get a book from the library or research the web. Learn and talk to each other about how children live in different countries.

*Schools*

A downloadable Resource Kit is available on www.purplecakeday.org

Schools can register now by emailing: schools@purplecakeday.org

The Kit includes:

- Purple Cake Day – what is it all about! - Uniting Children of the World – turn Purple on 1st March in solidarity - Investing in Education – building schools and building futures - Understanding the UN Declaration of the ‘Rights of the Child’ - Haiti (facts, map, flag) and looking back at 2010 - Inspiring stories – a child’s life in Haiti - Water Activities – how does access to clean water affect the lives of children all over the world. - Pattern for making Flags-of-Hope to hang in your school & community - Art and Design: create your own purple passion fashion Wearable Art™ costume; draw cupcakes and pictures of children celebrating around the world; be inspired by Haitian art and paint your own market scene - Fundraising – limitless ways to celebrate and raise funds to help build a school

*For more information about Purple Cake Day go to: *

Website: www.purplecakeday.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com /purplecakeday

For media enquiries please contact: admin@purplecakeday.org

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*Further Background*

Nelson woman Emily Sanson-Rejouis lost two of her daughters, Kofie-Jade (5) and Zenzie (3), and her husband Emmanuel in the Haiti earthquake on January 12th, 2010. They were among more than 200 000 killed in the quake. Emily and her daughter Alyahna, now 2 years old, miraculously survived the quake. She was working for the United Nations in Haiti when the earthquake struck and was in a vehicle, while Haitian-born Emmanuel was with the children in their hotel, which was shaken to the ground by the earthquake.

After rescuing Alyahna with the help of a group of local men, Emily evacuated Haiti and returned to her hometown of Nelson and set up the Kenbe La Foundation, which aims to provide educational opportunities for disadvantaged children. Kenbe la is Haitian Creole for "Never give up".

“Yes the earthquake has devastated my life, but I do not want it to define me. I get tired of my situation. It's just a constant feeling of loss, grief and exhaustion. That aside, having a focus on manageable, achievable, and concrete projects run by the Kenbe La Foundation and having Alyahna with me every day gives me a lot to live for.

“Emmanuel loved his country despite the desperate poverty and political problems it faced, and felt privileged to have had an education since it is not something all children had access to growing up there. Because of that he was able to make an incredible contribution back to the world in his life. He realised education was critical if children were to have opportunities in life. That was a goal we had together and I continue to do that work – that keeps him with me.

“Purple Cake Day also helps me keep my girls’ memory alive as well as provide a celebratory day for all children. The day is inspired by Kofie’s compassion for children less fortunate and by Zenzie who wanted not one, but two purple cakes for her 4th birthday.”

“You cannot control everything that happens to you in life but you can control how you respond to it. In my darkest hours I have pledged to Emmanuel, Kofie-Jade, Zenzie and Alyahna to rise like a phoenix from the ashes – to Never Give Up. The Foundation is a way that we can make a difference in the lives of some children. Help me to realize this goal and rise to the challenge.”

Funds raised by Kenbe La Foundation in 2010 and 2011, including those raised by Purple Cake Day, are going towards the Foundation’s current project of building of a school for children in Haiti affected by the earthquake.

To read more about Emily’s story and the Foundation go to http://www.kenbelafoundation.org

ends