LUDACRIS’ “RUNAWAY LOVE” SONG BACKDROP
FOR NEW NRS CAMPAIGN

Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, The Ludacris Foundation,
The National Runaway Switchboard and Greyhound
continue efforts to help America’s runaway youth

Atlanta, GA – In 2006 with the release of the song “Runaway Love”, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and The Ludacris Foundation (TLF) partnered with the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) to help bring awareness to the problems facing runaway youth in America. This year for November’s National Runaway Prevention Month, Ludacris is starring in a new public education campaign, including a new PSA he filmed that is being distributed to TV stations across the country. The initiative was spearheaded by NRS with support from Greyhound to increase the awareness of issues facing America’s runaways and educate the public on solutions and the role they can play in preventing youth from running away.

“Runaway Love” (featuring Mary J. Blige) was the second single from Ludacris’ fifth album “Release Therapy,” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album chart and won a Grammy award in 2007. The song, written by Ludacris speaks to young girls in distress and was the inspiration for his involvement with the National Runaway Switchboard. 

“When I first recorded the song “Runaway Love”, I wanted to tell young people that running away from their problems was not the answer and that they were not alone in facing their issues. Then I realized that more emphasis was needed so we reached out to NRS and developed a partnership between The Ludacris Foundation and the National Runaway Switchboard. Through the partnership we wanted to help bring awareness to the problems facing runaway youth in America” according to Ludacris.

Approximately, 1.6 million youth run away from home each year. According to NRS call volume statistics, the top reasons youth run from home is because of family dynamics (divorce, remarriage, problems with siblings) and abuse (substance, physical, sexual). One third of runaway and homeless youth have attempted suicide; Runaway and homeless youth report being sexual abused seven times more than youth in general; Runaway youth have an elevated risk of ending up pregnant and on drugs or alcohol.

“I quickly understood that this was not just a runaway problem; this is my problem - this is your problem - this is our problem - this affects so many aspects of American societal life” commented Ludacris.

That partnership has resulted in a nearly 50 percent increase in calls to the NRS hotline and 60 percent increase in visitor traffic to www.1800RUNAWAY.org. The new campaign and PSA initiative hopes to build upon the success of the last two years.

“I’m extremely happy that my son’s association with the National Runaway Switchboard has had a positive impact on those contemplating running away or now on the streets”, said Roberta Shields, President TLF. 

Media can direct questions/inquiries to Barry Florence, BDC World Public Relations.

About the Ludacris Foundation

The Ludacris Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization created to help young people achieve their dreams through the encouragement of “Principles of Success.” We aim to show young people in America that they are the builders of their future. We primarily use music and the arts to connect with young people by listening to their views, issues, and challenges. Our efforts reach youth at all age levels.

Founded in 2001 by multi-platinum selling, GRAMMY® award winning artist and actor, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, TLF has achieved notable success. TLF has been named as one of the top twenty "Leading Philanthropy Foundations" by Black Enterprise magazine and featured in The Robb Report’s Worth magazine and The Chronicles on Philanthropy, The Newspaper of the Non-Profit World, for outstanding efforts provided to urban communities.

Ludacris connects with youth in a unique and authentic way. The Ludacris Foundation can influence youth who may be having problems with education, self esteem, healthy life styles and the like in ways that mainstream organization can’t. We are effective in building partnerships and bridging the resource gap to improve lives. With your assistance, we can continue to support our communities through education, health care and youth development programs. For more information, visit www.theludacrisfoundation.org.

About the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS)

The National Runaway Switchboard, established in 1971, serves as the federally-designated national communication system for homeless and runaway youth.  Recognized as the oldest hotline of its kind in the world, NRS, with the support of more than 150 volunteers, handles an average of 100,000 calls annually – more than 3 million calls since the organization’s inception.  NRS provides crisis intervention, referrals to local resources, and education and prevention services to youth, families and community members throughout the country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Over 13,000 youth have been reunited with their families through the NRS Home Free program done in collaboration with Greyhound Lines, Inc.  The NRS crisis hotline is 1-800-RUNAWAY.  For more information, visit www.1800RUNAWAY.org.

NRS 2007 Call Volume Statistics:

• NRS handled 176,609 calls in 2007. Nearly half of the crisis calls, 45 percent, were with youth. And of all crisis calls with youth, 50 percent were already on the street as a runaway, throwaway, or homeless youth.
• 44 percent of youth ran from home because of family dynamics (divorce, remarriage, problems with siblings) and abuse (substance, physical, sexual).
• Reported age identified by the caller: 62 percent of youth callers were between 14 and 17 years old.  NRS handled calls with youth as young as 10 years old.
• Gender of the caller:   77 percent female and 23 percent male  

About Greyhound

Founded in 1914, Greyhound is the largest North American provider of intercity bus transportation, serving more than 2,300 destinations with more than 10,500 daily departures across the continent. Since 1987, Greyhound has provided a free ride home to runaway youth through its Home Free program. In 1995, Greyhound expanded the initiative and began its partnership with the National Runaway Switchboard, which helps facilitate the screening process for transporting runaway youth between the ages of 12 and 20 back home or to a transitional living facility. The screening process is anonymous, confidential and free. Since the Home Free program began, Greyhound has reunited more than 13,000 young people with their families. For more information, visit www.greyhound.com.

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