Space-traveling STEM toys to be auctioned for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
New York (Sept. 09, 2021) – On Wednesday, Sept. 15, Space Race, LLC, the global production company that specializes in children’s programming and educational entertainment, will be sending a handful of plastic and plush STEM toys on the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit called Inspiration4.
The toys represent five characters from the company’s popular animated STEM television series called Space Racers. Upon their return to Earth, the toys named Eagle, Robyn, Hawk, Raven, and Starling will be auctioned for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
Commander Jared Isaacman selected St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as its beneficiary and committed $100 million to St. Jude to inspire others to raise an additional $100 million to accelerate research on childhood cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases and its lifesaving treatment for children from over the world.
Isaacman donated two seats to St. Jude, one of which will be occupied by 29-year-old Hayley Arceneaux, pediatric cancer survivor and physician assistant at St. Jude. The four crew members, including Isaacman, Arceneaux, Christopher Sembroski and Dr. Sian Proctor, will board the Falcon 9 launch vehicle at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and orbit the Earth for multiple days on the Dragon spacecraft, before they return to Earth.
Isaacman is the 38-year-old founder and Chief Executive Officer of Shift4 Payments, Inc. (“Shift4”), a digital payments company and is a pilot rated to fly commercial and military aircraft.
“It is an honor to take St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital along on this journey to space and rewarding to know Inspiration4 is supporting its current multi-billion dollar expansion plan to accelerate research advances and save more children worldwide,” said Isaacman. “I am grateful to Space Race for supporting this record-setting fundraising endeavor and hope our actions inspire support for St. Jude while sending a humanitarian message of possibility.”
“As the world looks to the stars for this momentous occasion, we will be celebrating with our fans that the Space Racers are not only part of the Inspiration4 mission to orbit, but also they continue to play a part in making a positive difference in children’s lives,” said Michael Matays, CEO of Space Race LLC. “The work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is second-to-none and we are honored to have been selected to support them.”
Further details on the auction and fundraising campaign, visit stjude.org/inspiration4.
About Space Racers®
Space Racers follows Eagle, Robyn, Hawk, Starling, Raven and their fellow cadets as they explore the solar system and the universe. Headmaster Crane, Professor Coot and other faculty members of the Stardust Bay Space Academy guide the cadets on missions that cover Earth science, planetary science and astrophysics among many science disciplines explained at a preschool level. The stunning CGI animation plus authentic sounds and images from outer space provided by NASA bring the richness of space and diversity of planetary landscapes, as well as the characters, vividly to life for young minds.
About Space Race, LLC
Space Race, LLC, based in New York, is the global production company behind Space Racers and specializes in children’s programming and educational entertainment. Space Racers currently airs in over 130 countries across the globe and is available in more than 25 languages. Honors include numerous awards including the American Public Television Programming Excellence Award, Parents Choice Awards and a Cynopsis !magination Award. To learn more about Space Racers, visit http://www.spaceracers.com
About Shift4 Payments
Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR) is a leading provider of integrated payment processing and technology solutions, delivering a complete omnichannel ecosystem that extends beyond payments to include a wide range of commerce-enabling services. The company’s technologies help power over 350 software providers in numerous industries, including hospitality, retail, F&B, eCommerce, lodging, gaming, and many more. With over 7,000 sales partners, the company securely processed more than $200 billion in payments volume for over 200,000 businesses in 2019. For more information, visit shift4.com
About 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% to more than 80% 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. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. 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.