Red Nose Day is all fun on the surface, but behind the smiles and camaraderie, child poverty is being dealt a major blow.
Since Red Nose Day began in the UK 25 years ago, more than $1 billion USD has been raised to lift kids out of poverty.
In the US, the effort is led by a broad array of advocates from Key & Peele and Olivia Wilde to Bill & Melinda Gates.
The best part about the campaign is that everyone can take part in its mission. All you have to do is buy a red nose from a participating stores (Walgreens and Duane Reade) and get your friends involved by sharing images on social media. You can also get additional gear to celebrate like red hats and headbands.
And for the super-creative, you can even start your own Red Nose Day fundraising page. Schools, workplaces and homes can download toolkits on the web site.
If you just have a moment, you can tweet #RedNose4Kids and the Gates Foundation will donate $10 for you.
Don't have a red nose? That's ok! For every RT we'll donate $10 toward ending child poverty. #RedNose4Kidspic.twitter.com/pFgi2CrSOx
— Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) May 19, 2016
And then on May 26th, tune in to MSNBC from 9-11 PM (EST) to watch the Red Nose Day Special, hosted by Craig Ferguson. He'll be joined by Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman, Tracy Morgan, Key & Peele, Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Ellie Kemper to appear, along with Kristen Bell, Emma Watson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Rose Byrne, Blake Griffin, Emma Thompson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, Adam Devine and Ron Funches.
It's amazing how far the money raised can go in the fight against child poverty.
As the campaign compellingly describes:
Check out the Red Nose Day web site for more info!