Making Change for Katrina Fundraising Campaign Becomes Larger-Than-Life with ''Nick'' and ''Penny;'' Campaign Mascots Created by Dallas Design Luminary Irene Corey Design Associates.

DALLAS -- It's one thing to tell Americans that their spare change can build homes for hurricane victims. But Irene Corey Design Associates (ICDA) is bringing that message to life, creating adult-size renditions of coins to inspire citizens to donate.

"So often, we hear that just pennies out of our pockets make a difference, but find it hard to believe. To capture the imaginations of potential donors, the Making Change for Katrina campaign has developed Nick and Penny, coin-like characters representing all of the nickels, pennies and other spare change just waiting to help those left homeless by last year's hurricanes," said Suzanne Lockridge, ICDA designer. "Nick and Penny will help Americans focus on the reality of the situation -- that a few coins out of everybody's pockets can change lives for the better."

Making Change for Katrina (www.makingchangeforkatrina.org) is the first-of-its-kind national campaign to collect spare change from the home to transform nickels and pennies into much-needed housing for families struggling from the effects of last season's devastating Gulf Coast hurricanes. Contributing is easy. Anyone can donate their spare change using one of the more than 12,000 Coinstar(R) Centers found in supermarkets nationwide. Participants simply choose the "donate" option from the onscreen menu, select "Making Change for Katrina" as the charity of choice, pour in the coins and take the tax-deductible receipt.

Nick and Penny will be key elements of the campaign, making appearances on a national morning show, talk shows and a 15-city tour. Before the currency characters could begin their travels, they had to be brought to life by ICDA, a long-established firm that designs and builds foam character costumes.

"Katrina was such a devastating event that impacted millions of people, including thousands in our home state of Texas," said Lockridge, designer for ICDA. "When we first heard about Nick and Penny, we couldn't wait to contribute to the campaign by bringing these eye-catching characters into three-dimensional, living color."

Designed to look like animated versions of coins, Nick's nickel-colored costume spans 52 inches in diameter, while Penny's copper-colored costume has a diameter of 48 inches. Each costume features a friendly face on one side and the Making Change campaign logo on the other. The costumes are made of polyethylene foam, making them strong and light-weight. A battery-powered fan helps keep the people wearing the costumes cool and dry.

"Typically, our company creates mascots and costumes for companies, feature films and children's programming," said Lockridge, who has worked on characters ranging from Chick-fil-A's cows to Half Price Books' bookworm and HIT Entertainment's Barney. "They can make such an impact, capturing attention and making abstract concepts more tangible."

Rebuilding the Gulf region is the largest recovery effort ever undertaken in the United States, and the need for homes is dire. Eight months after the unprecedented destruction to the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina, thousands of the nearly 1 million homes destroyed remain in ruins. Proceeds from Making Change for Katrina go to Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that builds simple, decent housing with people in need. The campaign is encouraging Americans to donate the spare change in their households, just 1 percent of which could build more than a thousand Habitat for Humanity homes at a cost of around $100 million.

About Irene Corey Design Associates

Irene Corey Design Associates (ICDA) brings creative concepts to life -- literally. The company designs, builds and delivers foam character costumes, three-dimensional company logos and walk-around body puppets. Since its founding in 1983, ICDA has developed characters for brand identity campaigns, corporate mascots, film productions, animation, promotions, attractions and tours. The privately held company is headquartered in Dallas. For press contacts and interviews, contact Roy Miller at 972-716-4070 x235, or via e-mail at [e-mail].

About Making Change for Katrina

Making Change for Katrina (www.makingchangeforkatrina.org) is a pro bono campaign that was created by Carol Cone, Chairman of Cone, Inc., the nation's leading cause branding agency. Making Change for Katrina is a campaign to collect spare change to benefit the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. The recipient of this campaign is Habitat for Humanity, which has been a partner throughout the development process. Coinstar Inc., with more than 12,000 Coinstar(R) Centers in grocery stores throughout the U.S., will serve as the primary collection partner.