/PRNewswire/ - Multi-platinum recording artist, actor, television personality, and "Big Brother" Nick Lachey is helping Great Wolf Resorts® (NASDAQ: WOLF), North America's largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, make a huge splash for a big cause. Lachey is serving as honorary spokesperson for the company's second annual "World's Largest Waterslide-athon" being held on June 11 at its eleven Great Wolf Lodge® locations, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters.

A Big Brother himself since 2004 with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Lachey is rallying communities nationwide to join in the fun at any of the family-friendly resorts, including Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH, a suburb of his Cincinnati hometown. From 11a.m. to 11p.m. on Saturday, June 11, for every guest who takes the plunge down the designated waterslide, Great Wolf Resorts will donate $1 to the mentoring organization (up to $50,000). The money raised from the waterslide-athon, plus other local fundraising activities, will combine for a $250,000 goal, doubling last year's donation.

"Most people know I have a younger brother Drew, but they don't know I've had a Little Brother mentee which has been a hugely rewarding experience," said Lachey. "Big Brothers Big Sisters needs mentors, but they also need financial donations to keep the mentoring going strong. This is why I'm excited to be a part of Great Wolf Lodge's Waterslide-athon, a fantastic event where families can have a great time while raising awareness for an important cause."

Last year, the waterpark resorts raised more than $125,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters, in addition to setting a Guinness World Record for "longest distance water sliding in 24 hours in multiple venues" - with more than 45,000 Great Wolf Lodge guests sliding a total of more than 3,500 miles.

"We absolutely fell in love with Waterslide-athon; it perfectly embodies our relationship with Big Brothers Big Sisters by turning the simplest thing that occurs in our waterparks thousands of times each day, into the one thing our charity partner needs most - financial support," said Kim Schaefer, CEO of Great Wolf Resorts. "When we saw the enthusiasm from our guests and employees as they rallied behind last year's event, we knew we had to do it again."

Increased funding will allow Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation's largest donor-funded network of volunteer mentors, to carefully make more mentoring matches and provide ongoing support to the volunteers, mentees and their families to help sustain the long-term, successful relationships unique to its programs.

While the daytime event is for guests only, the general public is invited to join in the fun beginning at 9 p.m. for "Waterpark in the Dark." This afterhours event will allow families to buy special wristbands, then enjoy the waterpark until midnight to help wrap up the waterslide-athon. All proceeds from Waterpark in the Dark will help Great Wolf Lodge reach that $250,000 donation goal to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Great Wolf Lodge also has a way for everyone to slide along from home. For anyone who would like to participate but can't attend, they can enjoy the virtual waterslide-athon on the Great Wolf Lodge Facebook page. Visitors to the site can "slide," then make a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters. The virtual waterslide-athon will be live June 6 through June 11.

"Big Brothers Big Sisters holds itself accountable for helping children who face adversity achieve positive, measurable outcomes, including educational success, higher aspirations and confidence, improved relationships and avoidance of risky behaviors," said Karen J. Mathis, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters. "We thank our partners at Great Wolf Resorts for their continued commitment to our organization and are grateful to Nick Lachey for his mentorship and advocacy to gain support for the children, families and communities we serve."

For more information, visit www.greatwolf.com/slideathon.

About Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF), Madison, Wis., is North America's largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, and, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns, licenses and/or operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge® brand. Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company with Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; Grand Mound, Wash.; and Concord, N.C.

The company's resorts are family-oriented destination facilities that generally feature 300 to 600 rooms and a large indoor entertainment area measuring 40,000 to 100,000 square feet. The all-suite properties offer a variety of room styles, arcade/game rooms, fitness rooms, themed restaurants, spas, supervised children's activities and other amenities. The company's consolidated subsidiary, Creative Kingdoms, LLC, is a developer and operator of technology-based, interactive quest adventure experiences such as MagiQuest®.

Additional information may be found on the company's Web site at www.greatwolf.com.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters' mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports them in one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The organization holds itself accountable for children in the program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as higher aspirations; greater confidence and better relationships; educational success; and avoidance of delinquency and other risky behaviors. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of about 370 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 250,000 children. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF), Madison, Wis., is North America's largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, and, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns, licenses and/or operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge® brand. Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company with Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; Grand Mound, Wash.; and Concord, N.C.

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