Chronicle Books and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver present: A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo

March 19, 2018

100% of Last Week Tonight’s proceeds will be donated to The Trevor Project and AIDS United.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 18, 2018― A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo is a children’s picture book that imagines the story of Marlon Bundo, the Bunny of the United States (BOTUS), who meets the bunny of his dreams.

Published by Chronicle Books in collaboration with the hit HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the book is being released, coincidentally, the day before Marlon Bundo’s A Day in the Life of the Vice President, a different picture book written by Charlotte Pence, the Vice President’s daughter, and illustrated by his wife, Karen Pence. Instead of following around the Vice President, A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo follows a day in the life of the BOTUS, as he falls in love with another bunny, Wesley. The two decide to wed, only to be told by the Stink Bug in charge that same-sex marriage is not allowed. When Marlon, Wesley and their supportive animal community realize that they can choose who is in charge of their society, they vote out the Stink Bug and the couple is married surrounded by their friends. With its message of tolerance and advocacy this children’s picture book beautifully explores issues of marriage equality and democracy.

“We were lucky enough to get the call,” said Sarah Malarkey, Executive Editorial Director at Chronicle Books. “Because we wholeheartedly agree with the message of inclusiveness, we leapt at the chance to partner with the hilarious and brave team at Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”

“This book has an important message for all LGBTQ youth: That they are worthy of love and should be proud of who they are. That’s a message we can all believe in,” said Amit Paley, the CEO of The Trevor Project. “We are so grateful to be the beneficiary of books sold. The funds raised through the sales of this book will help us continue to operate our 24/7 life-saving services for LGBTQ youth.”

“We are so grateful to all those involved in the development of this story, and on behalf of the 1.1 million people living with and at risk for HIV in the U.S., we thank them for their generous support,” said AIDS United CEO Jesse Milan, Jr. “By celebrating Marlon Bundo’s differences, the book’s authors have created a powerful tool for teaching young people the value of diversity.”

The audiobook version of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, read by Jim Parsons with special guests Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, and RuPaul, is available on Audible.

To see tonight’s segment of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, please visit: youtube.com/user/LastWeekTonight

The book can be purchased at betterbundobook.com and chroniclebooks.com.

About the Book

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo

By Marlon Bundo with Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller

ISBN: 978-1-4521-7380-1

Jacketed hardcover, 10 x10 in, 40 pages, full-color illustrations throughout

$18.99 US

About the Author

Marlon Bundo is a very fun bunny who recently relocated to Washington, D.C. from his home in Indiana. He enjoys hopping through the garden, eating all his vegetables, and hula-hooping.

About Chronicle Books

One of the most admired and respected publishing companies in the U.S., Chronicle Books was founded in 1967 and over the years has developed a reputation for award-winning, innovative books. Recognized as one of the 50 best small companies to work for in the U.S. (and the only independent publisher to receive this award), the company continues to challenge conventional publishing wisdom, setting trends in both subject and format, maintaining a list that includes much admired illustrated books and gift products in design, art, architecture, photography, food, lifestyle, pop culture, and acclaimed children’s titles. Chronicle Books’ objective is to create and distribute exceptional publishing that’s instantly recognizable for its spirit, creativity, and value. For more information about Chronicle Books, visit www.chroniclebooks.com. Follow us on Twitter: @ChronicleBooks.

About The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the leading and only accredited national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under the age of 25. The Trevor Project offers a suite of crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as a peer-to-peer social network support for LGBTQ young people under the age of 25, TrevorSpace. Trevor also offers an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, a legislative advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and conducts research to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide. If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, our Trevor Lifeline crisis counselors are available 24/7/365 at 866.488.7386. www.TheTrevorProject.org

About AIDS United

AIDS United’s mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant-making, capacity building, formative research and policy. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV/AIDS care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV/AIDS-related policy for U.S. populations and communities most impacted by the epidemic. To date, our strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $104 million to local communities and have leveraged more than $117 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to HIV prevention, access to care, capacity building, harm reduction and advocacy. For more information, visit www.aidsunited.org.

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Tyler Oakley Celebrates Trevor

April 15, 2014

For the second year in a row, YouTube celebrity and long-time Trevor supporter Tyler Oakley chose to use his birthday to make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ youth. Through his incredible online presence, Tyler hoped to raise $150,000. In the following months, fans and supporters from all over the country chipped in, quickly surpassing Tyler’s initial goal and bringing the final gross total to $525,704!

“We are so grateful that Tyler chose to celebrate his birthday by raising awareness for The Trevor Project. The difference he’s making will impact thousands of LGBTQ youth, and will help brighten so many futures. To the people who contributed to Tyler’s birthday campaign, The Trevor Project offers a huge ‘Thank you!’ – with your support, we can do so much,” said Ron Silverman, Vice-President of Development at The Trevor Project.

Tyler shared why giving to Trevor was so important to him this year:

“Every day I hear from young people all around the world who are going through their own challenging moments in life. Although I try to offer my advice and support to as many as I can, having The Trevor Project to refer them to is life-saving. Their trained staff and volunteers are able to provide help and support in ways the average person can’t. Whether making videos about it on my channel, being an intern for the organization in 2009, or hosting their annual benefit’s red carpet, it has always been important for me to include The Trevor Project in my work. It’s necessary for me to use my birthday to help young LGBTQ people across the nation strive to celebrate many more birthdays – it’s as simple as that.”

Thank you again Tyler, for your incredible support!

If you are interested in making a donation to The Trevor Project, please click HERE.

Trevor Supporters Share Grammy Award Love Story

February 11, 2014

On January 26th, longtime supporters and Friends of Trevor, Yawar Charlie and Jason Miller made history as one of the 33 couples to wed at the Grammy Awards!

Yawar told us about the unexpected Grammy opportunity, “At first, we weren’t allowed to tell anyone anything – including friends and families! The week before the event, we could finally tell everybody. We’re so blessed and honored to have been involved.”

The couple was ecstatic to be part of Macklemore’s iconic song, but the excitement really didn’t sink in until they realized that Madonna sang at their wedding.

“It felt like every single person was there to support us. They didn’t care what gender our partners were. They embraced us, and celebrated the love we all had found. Queen Latifah even signed our wedding licenses!”

Jason, from rural Pennsylvania, wore a tuxedo, and Yawar, from a strict Muslim family in the Middle East, wore a traditional Pakistani outfit. The couple soon began receiving congratulatory emails, tweets, and messages from people around the world who were touched by their cross-cultural wedding.

“I think Jason and I both feel that what our public wedding showed was, there is hope,” shared Yawar. The newlyweds continued with a message for Trevor’s youth, “No matter who you are, no matter what background you come from, no matter what your culture is – you deserve love. It can happen to you.”

The couple will celebrate their marriage with their family and friends, later this summer.

Are you having a wedding or celebration? Consider asking your guests to give to a cause that’s close to your heart. You can show your support for LGBTQ youth and Celebrate Trevor by visiting TheTrevorProject.org/pages/fundraise/.

TrevorLIVE Success!

January 22, 2014

This December 8th, TrevorLIVE Los Angeles captivated more than 1,200 Trevor supporters at the Hollywood Palladium. We are thrilled to announce that this night of awareness raised over one million dollars for our life-saving mission, thanks to the generosity of our guests.

Special Guest Director Adam Shankman created a magical evening with amazing performers who shared their talent to support The Trevor Project, hosted by long-time Trevor supporter and award-winning comedian Kathy Griffin. The event proudly honored Golden Globe® Award and Emmy Award-winning actress Jane Lynch (Trevor Hero), Toyota (Trevor 20/20 Visionary Award), and young Mormon LGBTQ advocate, Adam White (Trevor Youth Innovator).

During the official TrevorLIVE red carpet pre-show, presented by Toyota Financial Services, Shira Lazar of WhatsTrending.com and Tyler Oakley interviewed celebrity guests and performers for their second consecutive year. You can watch clips online of Jane Lynch, Kathy Griffin, Darren Criss, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chris Colfer talking about how special The Trevor Project is to them. The impact of this evening was clear – because of how important Trevor is to you and our celebrity supporters, #TrevorLIVE became a trending topic on Twitter.

Special thanks to our presenting sponsors, Audi of America and Wells Fargo, and our invaluable event sponsors for supporting this powerful evening of awareness. We can hardly wait to bring the excitement of TrevorLIVE to New York on June 16th!

A Life Saving Gift

September 24, 2013

September 24, 2013

Every so often, The Trevor Project receives donations from supporters who have a story to tell. This past August, one letter stood out among the generous notes we received. It began with a fifteen-year-old’s birthday celebration; but the wish list of this young girl didn’t include new gadgets, clothes or toys – in lieu of gifts, Nicole asked her guests to donate money to The Trevor Project.

Nicole chose to give to The Trevor Project after a local gay teenager tragically died by suicide. She was deeply affected. “My daughter did not know [him] well,” Alison’s mother wrote to us. “She mainly knew him as the best friend of one of her friends. However, she wanted to donate this money in the hopes that maybe by doing this, she could make a difference in saving someone else’s life.”

Thank you for your generous birthday donation Nicole! All of us at The Trevor Project are grateful for your dedication to helping your friends and peers stay safe, and for helping to prevent suicide. You have truly made a difference.

If you or someone you know needs someone to talk to, call the Trevor Lifeline at 866-488-7386. We’re here for you 24/7.

Thank You AT&T

August 22, 2013

August 22, 2013

In celebration of Pride season, AT&T created the “Live Proud” campaign and invited the LGBTQ community to spread awareness, empowerment and most importantly, pride. In return, AT&T agreed to contribute up to $50,000 to The Trevor Project, based on reaching key social media benchmarks – and with our supporters’ help, we did.

From April 1 through June 30, $1 would be donated each time a supporter “liked” the campaign Facebook page and $0.50 would be added for each retweet on Twitter. By the campaign’s close, a total of 68,087 Facebook “likes” and 26,228 retweets were counted. Of those who submitted their own proud moments online, ten people and their guests also won an AT&T Live Proud VIP experience with Adam Lambert in Los Angeles.

The Trevor Project thanks AT&T for donating $50,000 while spreading a message of encouragement through their life-affirming campaign and looks forward to partnering with them in the future. We also thank the thousands of supporters on social media who helped make this donation a reality.

If you are interested in corporate partnership opportunities with The Trevor Project.

Donor Spotlight: Ron Valdez

In April, a prominent New York artist, Robert Longo, donated 36 exclusive first edition prints of his new untitled piece to benefit The Trevor Project. This incredible partnership and donation, totaling over $90,000, would not have been possible without Ron Valdez, chair of The Trevor Project’s Leadership Circle. The Leadership Circle is comprised of a dedicated group of former Trevor Board members who support our programmatic goals.

“The Leadership Circle was enthusiastic about Mr. Longo’s interest and involvement in The Trevor Project,” said Valdez. “We are looking forward to building this new relationship with him and with the art world at large, and are thankful for Mr. Longo’s generous donation to help save young lives.”