“Raise Your Hand” events result in Largest collage of cutout handprints and inspires thousands to fight childhood malnutrition
WASHINGTON D.C., May 6, 2015 ─ When Amway™ asked for help in raising awareness about global childhood malnutrition through its Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign, more than 260,000 people across the globe raised their hand to do just that. And they broke a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title in the process.
As a global leader in nutrition research, development and innovation, Amway paired its expertise from Nutrilite™, the world’s number one selling vitamins and dietary supplements brand*, with its passion for helping people live better lives. Amway™ last year launched the Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign to expand the distribution of the Nutrilite™ Little Bits™ supplement. At the time, the micronutrient powder with 15 essential vitamins and minerals for children was being distributed in two countries through established programs run by Non-Governmental Organizations. It has since expanded to nine countries and there are plans for more.
Holding “Raise Your Hand” events around the world, Amway pledged a $1 donation to the cause for each handprint collected in the effort to raise awareness of malnutrition and get people involved. This effort resulted in breaking the record for the Largest collage of cutout handprints and raised awareness about this preventable issue.
Michael Empric, GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS adjudicator, confirmed today that of the 260,872 handprints collected, 75,200 met GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS stringent requirements to be included in the official tally – more than double the previous record of 30,006.
View the multimedia news release and photos
“The Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign and effort to directly engage over 260,000 people worldwide to join us in fighting childhood malnutrition highlights what is possible when we issue a call to action,” said Jeff Terry, global manager of corporate social responsibility for Amway. “By getting involved and raising their hands, Amway Business Owners, employees and customers have started a movement that is impacting tens of thousands of children, families and communities. And we are just getting started!”
The announcement of the record took place in Washington D.C. at Founders Council, an annual gathering of top-earning Amway Business Owners, many of whom are engaged in the Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign and specifically participated in “Raise Your Hand” events.
“We are so grateful for the response from people all over the world,” Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel said. “Malnutrition is preventable, and these ‘Raise Your Hand’ events are helping us bring greater awareness and attention to this important issue. Our hope is that more people will become involved in lessening the impact malnutrition has in the lives of so many children and families. Thank you to everyone who raised their hands!”
The collage, taking the form of a tree, is on display at the Nutrilite™ Center for Optimal Health in Buena Park, California. The piece was designed and assembled by Grand Rapids-based artist Georgia Taylor. Visitors will be able to see the collage and know that each print represents a portion of the dollars raised to provide essential nutrients to malnourished children.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 7 million children younger than 5 years old die each year from preventable causes, and malnutrition is the underlying cause of 45 percent of those deaths. When mixed with children’s food once a day, Nutrilite™ Little Bits™ provides malnourished children under 5 the nutrients needed to survive and to help reach their potential. It was developed based on WHO recommendations for micronutrient powders for children 6 months to 5 years.
While the drive toward a world record is over, the Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign is still going strong. Nutrilite™ Little Bits™ is now distributed in nine countries and that number will grow to 15 by the end of 2016. Last month Amway™ released the Malnutrition Mapping Project. In partnership with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, the digital map and country reports provide easily accessible data on the evolving state of malnutrition in low-, middle- and high-income countries, including the double burden of undernutrition and overweight and obesity. More information on this and other Power of 5 initiatives can be found at: powerof5.nutrilite.com.
About Nutrilite™
Nutrilite™ exclusively by Amway is the world’s #1 selling brand of vitamins and dietary supplements* developed for personal daily vitamin and mineral nutrition, heart health, strong bones and weight management. Backed by 80 years of science and research, the Nutrilite™ team has perfected a proprietary “seed to supplement” practice to preserve quality and maximize the consistency, efficacy and safety of its products. The Nutrilite™ brand is the only global vitamin and mineral brand to grow, harvest and process plants on its own certified organic farms*, located in the United States, Mexico and Brazil. The Nutrilite™ Global Phytonutrient Report, commissioned by the Nutrilite™ Health Institute, provides an examination of global fruit and vegetable intake, availability and potential impacts on health. More information at: globalnews.amway.com/global-phytonutrient-report.
About the Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign
Amway created the Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign to build awareness of childhood malnutrition, the critical role nutrition plays in early childhood development and, ultimately, to help children reach their fifth birthday, which is a critical milestone in human development. It launched May 2014 with the goal of improving the nutritional value of malnourished children’s diets on a daily basis from the ages of 6 months to 5 years.
About Amway
Amway is a $10.8 billion direct selling business based in Ada, Michigan, USA. Top-selling brands for Amway are Nutrilite™ vitamin, mineral and dietary supplements, Artistry™ skincare and color cosmetics, and eSpring™ water treatment systems – all sold exclusively by Amway Business Owners. Global sales in 2014 made Amway the #1 direct selling business in the world, according to the Direct Selling News 2015 Global 100. For company news, visit globalnews.amway.com.
About GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (GWR) is the universally recognized global authority on record-breaking achievement. First published in 1955, over 132 million copies – and 3 million e-books – have been sold in 20 languages, in more than 100 countries. Since then, the internationally renowned brand is also available across a number of platforms; GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS global television shows are watched by over 750 million viewers annually, over half a million subscribe to the GWR YouTube channel, the global website receives 14 million viewers annually and has over 8 million fans on Facebook.
*Source: Euromonitor International Limited, www.euromonitor.com/amway-claims.
