Celebrity Heroes to Honor Nation's Top Hometown Heroes April 12 at the Rainbow Room

Celebrity Heroes to Honor Nation's Top Hometown Heroes April 12 at the Rainbow Room

Fourth Annual Volvo for life Awards Ceremony Hosted by Benjamin Bratt;
Hero Awards Presented by Hank Aaron, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and
Dr. Sally Ride; Music Performances by Avril Lavigne, Johanna Gard and the
Harlem Gospel Choir

MEDIA ALERT/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

What: Celebrity heroes -- Hank Aaron, Maya Lin, Sen. Bill Bradley,
Dr. Sally Ride and Eunice Kennedy Shriver -- are scheduled to
present the nation's top hometown heroes with the Volvo for life
Awards. The Fourth Annual Volvo for life Awards is the
largest-ever national search for and celebration of everyday
heroes with Volvo providing more than $1 million in
contributions in honor of hometown heroes. The three heroes
being honored were chosen from 4,341 nominations and appear on
www.volvoforlifeawards.com.

Where: Rainbow Room, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th floor, New York;
Wednesday, April 12, 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. (Call 612-338-3900 for a
schedule of activities and to book interviews with
participants.)

Who: Hosted by Benjamin Bratt; Awards presented by the celebrity
heroes listed above; Musical performances by Avril Lavigne,
Johanna Gard, Johnny Nash and the Harlem Gospel Choir. Winners
include:

* Dr. Gary Slutkin, a 55-year-old Chicago epidemiologist who
has created a violence forecaster and prevention program,
"CeaseFire," which has reduced gang shootings in some
neighborhoods by 75 percent.

* Dr. Ingida Asfaw, a 68-year-old Detroit heart surgeon and
Ethiopian immigrant who kept a four-decade long promise to
himself by mobilizing 550 international medical professionals
and volunteers to address his homeland's healthcare crises.

* Jane Williams, 47, of Rosamond, Calif., who, as creator and
director of the nation's longest running community-based
environmental advocacy group unites business, political and
social leaders in efforts to keep communities toxin-free.

Volvo will also honor the Second Annual Butterfly Award winner.
The award, created in honor of Volvo for life Awards winner
Alexandra Scott -- an eight-year-old cancer patient from
Wynnewood, Pa who gained national attention for her efforts to
raise money for pediatric cancer research by holding annual
lemonade stands -- recognizes a youth hero doing the
extraordinary in his or her hometown. This year's winner is:

* Grace Farnan, 12, of South Hamilton, Mass., has dedicated
herself to volunteering at the Hospice of the North Shore,
making hundreds of guestbooks and picture frames for patients
facing life-threatening illnesses.

Why: Launched in July 2005, the Fourth Annual Volvo for life Awards
called for people nationwide to nominate an unsung hero at
www.volvoforlifeawards.com. More than 4,300 nominations were
submitted. Distinguished judges -- Aaron, Bradley, Val Kilmer,
Caroline Kennedy, Lin, Paul Newman, Sir Richard Branson, Ride
and Shriver -- selected three winning heroes in the categories
of safety, quality of life and environment. At the event, the
three category winners each will be recognized and receive a
$50,000 contribution to the charities of their choice. One
grand winner will be announced and will receive a new Volvo car
every three years for the rest of his or her life along with the
designation of "America's Greatest Hometown Hero."

Visuals: Celebrities presenting hero awards; Bratt hosting program;
musical performances; Documentaries presented on program
winners; Celebrity and winner interview availability in
pressroom overlooking New York City.

RSVP: Media must RSVP to attend by calling 800-701-8063 or e-mail
rsvp@modernstorytellers.com.

Contact: Kim McMartin, Haberman & Associates, Office 612-372-6464,
Cell 512-921-4622, kim@habermaninc.com.

Steele Arundel, Haberman & Associates, Office 612-372-6467,
Cell 612-309-2399, steele@habermaninc.com.

Media: For photos and more information on the Volvo for life Awards:
www.volvocars-pr.com.

PRNewswire -- April 4

Source: Volvo Cars of North America

Web site: http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/

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