Stars Raising Money for Charity with Words With Friends Celebrity Challenge
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ABC/RON TOM(NEW YORK) — Eva Longoria, Jonah Hill, Kristen Bell, Edward Norton, John Legend and Snoop Dogg have signed up to participate in the first-ever Words With Friends Celebrity Challenge.
The social gaming company Zynga, American Express and the fundraising website CrowdRise have recruited the stars and other celebrities to help raise money for various charities.
Fans can join a celebrity’s team to help raise money for a charity of the star’s choosing. Gameplay kicks off Thursday and runs through Oct. 3. At stake is a chance to win a slice of $500,000 for charity. Winners will be announced on Oct. 4.
By joining the game, participants earn points when they play as many words as possible on the Words With Friends game during the team tournament. The higher the team’s rank, the more money it earns for its chosen charity. Fans who enter at least five words are automatically entered in the “Play a Celebrity Sweepstakes” to play a game against their team’s celebrity leader.
Longoria will be raising money for her self-named foundation which fosters entrepreneurship among Latina women, while Hill and Bell will be working to benefit Harlem Grown, which raises money for the New York City parks and education departments.
Legend will be raising money for his Show Me Campaign, which fights poverty, while Snoop Dogg will be earning money for his Snoop Youth Football League.
“Zynga knows a thing or two about social gaming, and it’s awesome to see them using that knowledge to engineer impact,” says Norton, who founded CrowdRise.
Players can download the gaming app for free on Android and Apple smart phones and Apple’s iPad, iPod and iPod touch.
To learn more about the fan challenge, visit WordsCelebrityChallenge.com.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio