Singer Debbie Gibson to Appear on "Celebrity Apprentice" to Help Poor Children

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 4, 2012 -- Singer songwriter Debbie Gibson will appear on season five of Celebrity Apprentice, and has announced she will play for the charity Children International.

Celebrity Apprentice is a reality television show where celebrities compete in weekly challenges and donate any winnings to their personal charities. Every week, the celebrity contestants will work in two teams, each under the guidance of a designated project manager, to compete in business-driven tasks around New York City, using their fame, along with their proven business acumen, to win challenges.

Contestants are subjected to long hours, grueling deadlines, intellectual challenges, personality clashes, and intense scrutiny under the careful watch of Donald Trump and his advisors. The last person standing will be chosen as the Celebrity Apprentice and have the honor of delivering a $250,000 bonus check to their designated charity.

Gibson will compete to help provide 5,000 poor children in India with medical and dental care and educational support.

Children International president and CEO Jim Cook said, "Children International is fortunate to have such a dedicated supporter as Debbie Gibson. She has proven she is an ardent advocate for children living in the most extreme poverty."

Gibson, who is the youngest performer ever to write and record a number one song, has been a supporter of the U.S.-based humanitarian organization since 1991. Currently, she helps support 7-year-old Helen, her mother and five siblings living in a cemetery in Manila, Philippines. Helen and her family guard a cemetery crypt, and live on less than $11 a month. With Gibson's help, Helen and her siblings now receive medical and dental care and attend school.

Children International's programs provide poor children like Helen with medical and dental care, educational support and health education to children and youth, some whose families live on less than $1.25 a day.

About Children International:

Established in 1936, Children International is an award-winning humanitarian organization with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. The organization has been recognized by the Philippine and Colombian governments for its humanitarian and disaster relief work. Children International's programs help more than 340,000 children and their families in 11 countries around the world including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Zambia, Honduras, India, the Philippines and the United States. For more information about Children International or to sponsor a child, visit http://www.children.org/. Follow Children International on Facebook and Twitter.