(Atlanta) Gift-wrapped in technology and tied with heartstrings, four million banner ads are being donated to children-related groups this holiday season by the holiday Web site www.northpole.com. By giving these organizations free advertising, northpole.com helps promote public support and knowledge of pediatric cancer research and the treatment and opportunities available to help children with life-threatening illnesses.

Northpole.com donates one million banner ads and links on its Web site to each of the following institutions: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America, The Silver Lining Foundation, and Ronald McDonald House® Charities.

In its sixth Christmas season, northpole.com features Santa's Secret Village--including Santa's Mailroom, Santa's Workshop, Mrs. Claus' Kitchen, Santa's Den, the Elf Clubhouse, and the Reindeer Barn. During November and December of last year, northpole.com had more than 2.25 million visitors, more than 250,000 letters to Santa, and 350,000 animated postcards sent from the site.

The site has been recognized each year for its entertaining, traditional, high technological, and artistic qualities. Activities in northpole.com include Web-mail with Santa, personalized stories, Elf Chat, karaoke, a Christmas-only radio station, animated holiday postcards, games, North Pole weather reports, puzzles, and recipes. The site also includes a "room" in its Santa's Secret Village for the Festival of Trees. Clicking on this room brings up a list of participating Festival of Trees events in more than 70 cities in the United States and Canada. Events primarily benefit children's charities.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is biomedical research center in Memphis, Tenn., dedicated to finding cures for catastrophic diseases in children. All St. Jude patients are treated regardless of their ability to pay. (Last year northpole.com donated banner ads to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which reported receiving 20,000 visitors to its Web site as a direct result of the ads.)

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America is a the world's largest wish-granting organization, granting wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses, with the intent to enrich these children's lives. Through private donors and thousands of volunteers, it has granted more than 83,000 wishes to children around the world. Referrals come from parents and guardians or medical professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and social workers.

The Silver Lining Foundation offers an all-expense paid week of adventure in the Colorado mountains to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Participants exchange a sterile hospital environment and rigid medical schedule for white water rafting, horseback riding, gondola rides up Aspen mountains, and skiing.

Ronald McDonald House® Charities provides services to 206 Ronald McDonald Houses in 19 countries, in addition to other not-for-profit organizations. Ronald McDonald Houses provide a "home-away-from-home" for the families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Although each Ronald McDonald House relies on people and businesses in its own community, RMHC provides seed, expansion and emergency grants, as well as in-kind goods and services.

"We feel strongly that all businesses ought to lend their support to charitable causes," said Jim Clutter, creator of northpole.com. "We chose these organizations because of their commitment and success in treating and researching children's diseases and improving the quality of life for these children. Our hope is that visitors to our site will learn about the work being done by these institutions, and that this ultimately will help these groups."