ROCHESTER, N.Y. /New York Netwire/ — An epic one-day giving event, ROC the Day, will take place on December 8th, 2011. ROC the Day will be the first of its kind in the greater Rochester area and all of New York State. On this day, thousands of community members can help support Children Awaiting Parents through 24 hours of online, unprecedented giving.

Donations can be made on December 8 from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. by visiting http://www.roctheday.org/agency/ChildrenAwaitingParents .

Every hour throughout ROC the Day, one ROCstar donor will be chosen to receive an additional $500 added to their gift for the not-for-profit of their choice. Community members can enter their email address at ROCtheDay.org to sign up for a reminder to give and become a ROCstar on December 8.

Children Awaiting Parents is also asking supporters to submit a photo of themselves when they were 8, the average age of a child in care looking for their forever family. Photos are being uploaded onto their Facebook page. www.Facebook.com/ChildrenAwaitingParents .

Communities across the United States have hosted similar one-day online giving events in the past several years, many of which achieved millions of dollars raised for local not-for-profits. Dave Fiedler, 2012 United Way Board Chair and President and CEO of sponsor ESL Federal Credit Union, said that the goals of this event are to raise money for all local nonprofits and help community members make a difference in a simple way. “The end-of-year holiday season can be very busy,” Fiedler said, “but it’s a time to give thanks for what we have in this community and remind ourselves that we can always do more to help others. Giving to ROC the Day is the perfect way to do that.”

ROC the Day is powered by United Way of Greater Rochester with sponsorship support from ESL Federal Credit Union. Additional ROC the Day community partners include Ad Council of Rochester, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Genesee Valley Chapter, City of Rochester, Council of Agency Executives, County of Monroe, The Farash Foundation, Greater Rochester Health Foundation, The Jewish Federation, RocCity Coalition and Rochester Area Community Foundation.

To learn more about ROC the Day, or Children Awaiting Parents, visit http://www.roctheday.org/agency/ChildrenAwaitingParents .

About Children Awaiting Parents:

Children Awaiting Parents, Inc. (CAP) is a national, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. For 38 years, we have been dedicated to finding adoptive homes for America’s waiting children. CAP’s mission is to recruit foster and adoptive families across the United States for children who have been waiting the longest for a family. Our waiting children are often older, minorities, sibling groups who wish to be placed together, or children with emotional, mental and/or physical disabilities – children who are typically categorized as “special needs” or “hardest to place.”

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