A Poignant Version of Empire State of Mind (Part II), performed by New York City School Children, is featured in State Farm® 9/11 Tribute Thanking First Responders
(Emmitsburg, M.D.) Sept. 10, 2011 – State Farm chose award-winning director Spike Lee to film a touching tribute to publicly thank the heroes, honor the first responders, and commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Shot in documentary style, the tribute features New York City school children singing Empire State of Mind (Part II) to FDNY firefighters.
The students’ touching and uplifting rendition of the song – directed by James Davis Jr., Choral Director of The Abyssinian Church in Harlem – plays throughout. Audio of the students’ studio performance was recorded and is available for download, starting September 10. As a way to tangibly extend its appreciation, State Farm is donating its download proceeds (approximately $.48 per download) to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).
The download is available on iTunes and Amazon for $.99.
iTunes link: http://st8.fm/ON2
Amazon link: http://amzn.to/nTMKN8
“The Foundation is proud to have been selected as beneficiary of the Empire State of Mind (Part II) download proceeds and is grateful to State Farm for their continued support,” said National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Executive Director, Chief Ronald Jon Siarnicki. The tributes (60- and 90-second versions, created by DDB) will air on national networks September 10-12 in predominantly 9/11-specific programming, including during CBS’ special broadcast of the feature documentary 9/11: 10 Years Later.
State Farm is the exclusive broadcast sponsor of the documentary, opening the broadcast with a message of thanks to first responders from State Farm chairman and CEO Ed Rust Jr., and allowing the documentary to be presented with limited interruption. The tribute and a behind-the-scenes-making-of video, which includes interviews with the firefighters and children featured, are also available on YouTube. State Farm is a proud supporter of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
About NFFF
The United States Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to lead a nationwide effort to remember America’s fallen firefighters. Since 1992, the tax-exempt, nonprofit foundation has developed and expanded programs to honor our fallen fire heroes and assist their families and coworkers. Their mission is to honor and remember America’s fallen fire heroes and to provide resources to assist their survivors in rebuilding their lives.
They offer support programs for survivors, award scholarships to fire service survivors, help departments deal with line-of-duty deaths, and work to prevent line-of-duty deaths.
For more information, please visit: www.firehero.org
About State Farm
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 37 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
