Nickelodeon's THE HALO EFFECT to Honor Teen's Work with Underprivileged Children

Nickelodeon honors extraordinary teen Stephanie Quintero for her exemplary work in supporting underprivileged and immigrant children in the U.S., in all-new episode of THE HALO EFFECT "Chicos and Kids." Premiering Friday, Sept. 23, at 8:30 P.M. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, the episode profiles 17-year-old Quintero, who created a mentorship program that provides tutoring services and helps children builds relationships with teen mentors in her hometown of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Airing monthly, THE HALO EFFECT highlights teens who "help and lead others" (HALO) in their community and inspire others to do the same. "Chicos and Kids" will encore Monday, Sept. 26, at 8pm (ET/PT) on NickToons and Saturday, Oct. 1, at 9:30pm (ET/PT) on TeenNick.

Quintero founded "Chicos and Kids" in 2010 after visiting her grandparents in Colombia and learning that the local kids' school was underfunded. Along with her brother, Quintero began teaching English classes to kids in Colombia every summer and she has also inspired another young girl to teach English in Guatemala. "Chicos and Kids" focuses on teaching underprivileged and immigrant children in Maryland, who are struggling in school and need help adjusting to American culture.

Since its inception, "Chicos and Kids" has held numerous learning workshops for children in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The organization established a new mentorship program earlier this year with teens in the community serving as "big Brothers and Sisters" to kids. In recognition of her commitment to helping children in need, Nickelodeon's THE HALO EFFECT will award a $10,000 grant to Quintero's organization.

In each episode of The HALO Effect, the profiled teen will issue a "HALO Effect Challenge," a call-to-action encouraging inspired viewers to participate in their cause and join the HALO movement. As part of Quintero's "HALO Effect Challenge," she is encouraging everyone to post a picture of themselves with a sign thanking a teacher or mentor and/or to volunteer as a mentor using the hashtag #HALOEffectChallenge. For more information on Quintero and her challenge, viewers can visit www.nick.com/haloeffect.

The HALO Effect launched in 2013 as a year-round initiative recognizing one deserving teen every month for their work to help and lead others in their community. The initiative was built upon Nickelodeon's HALO Awards, an annual concert event honoring young community leaders with a grant for their organization and scholarship funds. To date, more than 50 teens across the country have been honored and have received more than $400,000 in grants to fund their non-profit organizations.

The HALO Effect series expands Nickelodeon's ongoing commitment to the HALO movement by giving an in-depth look into the inspirational stories of teens who are eager to share the issues and projects important to them and excited to engage others to achieve impact. The monthly series is hosted by Sydney Park (Instant Mom) and executive produced by Nick Cannon and NCredible Entertainment, as well as Morgan Spurlock, Richard Arlook, Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin and Ethan Goldman of Warrior Poets.

Nickelodeon, now in its 37th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

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