Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that Star Wars: Episode I will premiere on May 16th in 11 cities in the United States and Canada. Lucasfilm has made the film available to local charities in each of these cities in order to raise money for children's programs. At each premiere, portions of the theatre seating will be made available for disadvantaged children. George Lucas states "Because Star Wars has always meant so much to children around the world, I wanted to provide this opportunity to benefit children in at least this small way. Charities were selected to benefit a wide range of needs."

The premieres will provide fundraising opportunities on behalf of the following organizations:

Boston
The Joey Fund
(508) 655-6000

The Fund, established in 1986 in memory of Joey O'Donnell, works with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to supply financial support for CF children and research.

Chicago
The For All Kids Foundation
(212) 573-6933

Motion picture and television personality Rosie O'Donnell established The For All Kids Foundation in February 1997 to help support the intellectual, social and cultural development of at-risk and underserved children throughout the United States, focusing primarily on childcare organizations serving low-income, urban areas.

Dallas
Children's Medical Center of Dallas
(214) 456-8360

Children's Medical Center of Dallas is a private, non-profit hospital that deals exclusively with diseases and disorders of children from birth to age 18. As the primary teaching hospital of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Children's offers access to a wide variety of pediatric experts and the latest technology.

Denver
The Children's Hospital Foundation
(800) 458 5437

In partnership with others, the Children's Hospital provides its region with coordinated programs of patient care, education, research and advocacy.

Los Angeles
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
(310) 201-5033

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is the leading national non-profit organization dedicated to funding and conducting research that will lead to the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in infants and children.

New York
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
(212) 639-3041

Memorial Sloan-Kettering is the world's largest private institution devoted to advancing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, through its patient care services at Memorial Hospital and research programs at the Sloan-Kettering Institute. Through its Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering is working toward the cure for childhood cancer of all types.

Philadelphia
Big Brother Big Sister Association of Philadelphia
(215) 557-9009

BBBS is part of a national federation of over 500 local agencies that helps at-risk, single-parent children grow into responsible and caring adults by matching them with an adult volunteer.

San Francisco
San Francisco Boys & Girls Club
(415) 831-0826

The Club works to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive and responsible citizens by providing a safe place to go after school, caring adult staff and volunteers, and quality programs and activities for children ages 6-18.

Seattle
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center
(206) 528-2777

As both a community hospital for greater Seattle and the pediatric referral center for the Northwest, Children's provides education and research programs, and excellent pediatric care, regardless of race, sex, creed, ethnicity or disability.

Toronto
The Hospital For Sick Children Foundation
(416) 410-0793

The Foundation is a fundraising and granting organization that supports the Hospital for Sick Children, the largest pediatric medical center in North America.

Washington, DC
Children's National Medical Center
(202) 884-5631

For nearly 130 years, Children's National Medical Center has been serving children and their families in the Washington region, across the nation and around the world through programs in health care, child advocacy, research and education.