ABC raises $16.8M for Sandy victims

NEW YORK, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The Disney/ABC Television Group says its "Day of Giving" raised more than $16.8 million to aid victims of Hurricane Sandy on America's east coast.

The media/entertainment company integrated outreach messaging into Monday's programming across its News, Daytime, Primetime, Late Night, Owned Stations, Local Affiliates, Syndication, Cable, Online and Stores divisions to raise money for the American Red Cross.

"Our 'Day of Giving' was an enormous success, raising more than $16.8 million to help those impacted by Hurricane Sandy," Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group, said in a statement Tuesday.

"From 'Good Morning America,' 'The View' and our owned TV stations to 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' ABC Family, and Radio Disney, the Disney/ABC TV Group came together in an unprecedented fashion to address the storm's devastation, and I could not be more proud. But we didn't achieve this alone. ... The Walt Disney Co. led the way with its initial multimillion dollar relief and rebuilding donation, and other divisions of our company, including Disney.com, Consumer Products and ESPN, joined in our daylong outreach. Working together, we achieved a response to these efforts that was so massive our colleagues with Parks & Resorts were asked to donate their time to help handle the dramatic increase in call volume. This success would not have been possible without everyone's support and enthusiasm."

The Walt Disney Co. separately announced last week it was making a $2 million commitment to the relief effort. One million was donated to the American Red Cross for immediate, critical assistance, and another $1 million designated for organizations working on rebuilding efforts.

In addition, employee eligible donations to organizations involved in disaster relief will be matched, dollar for dollar, by Disney Employee Matching Gifts: A Program of The Walt Disney Co. Foundation.