Do Some Good and Win a Tweet from Supernatural Jared Padalecki

Supernatural’s supernaturally gorgeous star Jared Padalecki met his stunning wife Genevieve Cortese when she briefly co-starred on the hit CW show. The beautiful duo married February 27, 2010 and Jared confirmed via Twitter Oct. 11 that he and Gen are expecting their first child together! 

Now, the supernaturally kind and generous couple are sharing their baby joy with kids everywhere, asking their fans to make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research hospital in lieu of sending them gifts. Tonic caught up with Jared and Gen for an exclusive chat on the genesis of the decision to encourage donations to St. Jude, the sex of their baby, how they’re preparing to be new parents and which traits they hope the baby gets from each one of them! 

Lots of love on Twitter gave the pair the idea to pay it forward and divert gifts to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital…

 Jared told Tonic, “The outcry of love and support (by way of Twitter) that we received after announcing our pregnancy was so moving and touching that we were once again reminded of how blessed and fortunate we have been. We had countless inquiries as to where to send presents and cards, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to "give back" by having those gifts go to a charity that we've supported. We tried to express that the best way to show us support would not be to support us, but to support ALONGSIDE us.”

 He adds, “In that vein, we thought of St. Jude's. St Jude's Children's Hospital is a pediatric cancer treatment and research center. It's a wonderful charity that we've worked with for a while. It is a family's last resort when their young one has been diagnosed with a cancer that's not covered by insurance and that they don’t have the means to pay for independently. In fact, NO CHILD is EVER denied treatment based on race, religion, or an inability to pay. We both realize and understand that we've been so blessed and privileged with our health and independence, and we think it’s important to help others who have not been so fortunate.” 

Why they chose St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital…

“There are several charities that we support, and this one seemed like a great choice,” Jared told Tonic, adding, “As soon-to-be parents, it’s only natural to empathize with other new parents: and though we're not technically parents yet, there's already nothing more frightening than the thought of something happening to your child that you won't be able to help.”

 Get Involved! If you make a donation, Jared and Gen will know it came from you...

 And, if you send a receipt proving your donation of $10 or more to Jennifer@Tonic.com, we’ll randomly select a donor to receive a personal thank you via Twitter, or other communication medium if you haven’t joined the Twitterverse) from Jared and Gen!

They’ve already raised over $12,000 towards their goal of $20,000. Jared said, “The support and congratulatory wishes has been nothing short of amazing and in two short weeks, people have joined together and raised over $11,000 for the charity! It’s truly inspiring.” You can contribute here. 

Baby Name?

Jared says, “We've thrown around countless names, probably every one in the books, and a few that we kinda made up, but we both agree that we'd like to meet our child before we decide on a name.”

 Prepping for parenthood…

What do an English major (Gen) and the son of an English major (Jared) do to get ready for baby? Read, of course. Jared tells Tonic they’ve read “almost every book.” He says, “Both of us love to read, and we’ve both taken to reading all of the books that we can.  Our favorite is “Panic Free Pregnancy.”

 One part Jared, one part Gen, equals…

We asked the parents-to-be what traits they’d like the baby to inherit from each respectively. Doting husband Jared said, “I could probably make a list pages long, but the most important traits that I hope the baby gets from Gen are her work ethic, her love of knowledge, her patience and her ability to empathize with those around her.” Equally smitten, Gen told Tonic, “I really hope the baby gets Jared’s lexicon, although that probably means I’ll be carrying around a dictionary all the time! I really hope baby gets dad's sense of humor, work ethic, perseverance, athleticism, compassion, and kindness and of course.... toes!" She added, “Anything the baby gets from dad, I would be so proud.”

 If they could each have one supernatural power, what would it be and why? 

Jared said, “I would love to be able to survive underwater,” explaining, “It seems like we've been able to conquer flying to a degree, but we still can’t explore the depths of the ocean - its scary and exciting to me to think about the unknown down there.” Gen said, “To make time stand still, just so I could enjoy things a little bit longer."

Check out our friends at Soulpancake's take on the Supernatural. 

And don’t forget to send receipts if you make a donation to St. Jude’s, and follow Jared on Twitter @jarpad.