He’s Coast-to-Coast Holiday Fun!  Child Actor Rico Rodriguez, 12, who plays Manny on ABC’s Emmy-winning sitcom “Modern Family,” is serving as Kmart’s official “Fun Ambassdor” this year.  In addition to revealing the store’s Fab 15 toys in an event live from NYC’s Times Square on December 15th, Rico took St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital patient Carson on a shopping extravaganza with a $500 dollar Kmart gift card in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, December 9th.  Rico and Carson (who is now cancer free, pictured above) picked out holiday toys for kids currently receiving treatment at a local St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Some of the toys in the cart include Mouse Trap board game, Toy Story 3 Barbie, Uno card game, and a Nerf N-Force Thunder Fury Sword, among others.

Earlier this year, Rodriguez conducted a “behind-the-scenes investigation” to determine which toys kids would be asking for this holiday season. His reporting mission was documented in webisodes that are featured on www.kmart.com/fab15.

In regards to his duties as “Fun Ambassdor,” Rico said, “I had so much fun investigating the coolest toys out there for the Kmart Fab 15 list.  America voted a really cool toy as their favorite. The VTech V.Reader is a great way to hear stories and learn to read! I’m sure a lot of kids will be excited to unwrap the V.Reader this year.”

Rico is represented by Clear Talent Group and managed by Susan Osser.

Customers can shop for any of the items on the Fab 15 list at local Kmart stores nationwide or online anytime at www.kmart.com. Toys featured on the Kmart Fab 15 list range from $14.99 to $79.99.

If you would like to help a patient at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital please visit their website and shop at their own online store.

About St. Jude’s

  • St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened in 1962 and was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.
  • St. Jude covers the cost of food, travel and lodging for patients and a family member.
  • In 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, was 4 percent. Today, the survival rate for this once deadly disease is 94 percent, thanks to research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude.
  • The daily operating cost for St. Jude is $1.5 million, which is primarily covered by public contributions.
  • St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute.
  • In 2009, Parents magazine named St. Jude the No. 1 pediatric cancer care hospital in the country, based on the magazine’s survey of more than 75 children’s hospitals nationwide.
  • St. Jude is the first institution established for the sole purpose of conducting basic and clinical research and treatment into catastrophic childhood diseases, mainly cancer.

Find out more about St. Jude by visiting stjude.org and watch video coverage here http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/video?id=7835555