Contact:
Kimberli Meadows, 202-729-3238
KMeadows@pointsoflight.org

POINTS OF LIGHT FOUNDATION HONORS BUSINESSES DEDICATED TO ENGAGING EMPLOYEES IN VOLUNTEERING

Former President Bush to Present International Award and Deliver Keynote Address

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 1, 2004) — The Points of Light Foundation will present the Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Programs (AEWVP) on Tuesday, June 8 at the Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri from Noon until 2 p.m. CDT. Former President George Bush will deliver the keynote address at the ceremony and present the George Bush Corporate Leadership Award to Bob Haas, Chairman of Levi Strauss & Co.

The AEWVP is an international award that honors businesses of all sizes and from all industries that effectively engage employees in volunteering.

The 2003 AWEVP honorees engaged 67,500 men and women in 100,222,032 hours of service in 2002. Their contribution is valued at over $1.7 billion , based on the hourly dollar value in 2002, which was $16.74 as stated by the Independent Sector. The honorees are:

GE (Fairfield, CT), a multi-industry technology company, engages 51,000 employees and retirees in 33 countries in volunteer activities that focus on mentoring students, improving literacy, creating better communities and helping solve serious social problems.

KPMG LLP (New York, NY), an audit, tax and advisory firm, engages more than 5,000 of its 18,000 employees in volunteering through a national program that has resulted in millions of dollars in employee-raised funds, of free tax services, food boxes, cleaned up beaches, changed communities and healed neighborhoods.

State Street Corporation (Boston, MA), a financial services company, reports that by December 2003, 11,500 of its 21,000 employees served more than 56,000 hours on efforts that focused on four primary areas: education and job skills training; neighborhood revitalization; youth programs; and health and human needs.

Tucson Electric Power Company (Tucson, AZ), an electric utility company, engages 50% of its more than 1,000 employees in volunteer projects that have renovated Tucson's oldest childcare nursery, provided disaster relief from Arizona's largest wildfire, and built Habitat for Humanity houses to honor those affected by the September 11 tragedy.

"An increasing business trend in the U.S. is workplace volunteering. Many business leaders concur that employee volunteer programs, which encourage employees to share their time and talent by volunteering in the community, help businesses achieve company objectives and deliver on their values," says Robert K. Goodwin, president and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network.

Top executives from the winning companies will participate in a Business Leadership Forum prior to the awards ceremony from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. CDT. Topics for discussion will include how being a good corporate citizen influences business success and the value that workplace volunteerism plays as a key strategy.

Recipients were selected by judges from major business and nonprofit groups, who based their decisions on how well each company's overall workplace-based volunteer programs reflect the Principles of Excellence, a plan to ACT:

• Acknowledge that effective volunteer programs contribute to a company's ability to achieve its business goals;
• Commit to establishing and supporting a program that involves all employees and treats volunteering like any other key business requirement; and
• Target volunteering to address serious social problems within their communities.

For the first time, the 2003 Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Programs ceremony and related events will be held in conjunction with the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service, June 6 - 8 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, MO. The conference annually attracts 2,500 leaders from the nonprofit, business, government and national service, and education fields. Visit www.pointsoflight.org for more details.