Neutrogena's Wave for Change campaign raises $200K

LOS ANGELES Skin care brand Neutrogena's Wave for Change campaign, with the help of teens across America, achieved its goal of raising $200,000 for communities in need. The donation will be divided among three causes in the United States and globally, as determined by teens on Neutrogena's Facebook page.

Neutrogena invited teens to show their support for the campaign by purchasing oil-free acne wash pink grapefruit products and the Wave Sonic power-cleanser. For every product sold, Neutrogena pledged $1, up to $200,000, to GlobalGiving, an organization that links donors to such causes as environmental, educational and disaster-relief charities. GlobalGiving was instrumental in selecting three charities that aligned with the three causes identified by Neutrogena.

The teens helped determine how to split the donation among the causes. The final distribution of funding, based on the results of the online activity, was as follows:

• 68% to the Women's Global Education Project, a charity that supports education;
• 23% to the Lambi Fund of Haiti, a charity that provides disaster relief; and
• 9% to the Whaleman Foundation, a charity that works to protect the environment.

With their share of the funds, the Women's Global Education Project will help girls in rural Africa who otherwise would not be able to attend school. The organization's efforts include scholarships for girls and adult literacy classes for mothers so they can support their daughters in school.

The Lambi Fund of Haiti will use its share of the funds to help women and children affected by the recent Haiti earthquake. Its outreach includes providing clean drinking water and proper sanitation for local families, as well as protection from violence for thousands of women and children forced to live in tent cities.

The Whaleman Foundation will use its share of the funds to help wildlife impacted by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The campaign funds will help support the animals' rescue and a research mission in the Gulf.