Volvo Launches National Hero Search at Live 8

Volvo Launches National Hero Search at Live 8

Company Taps Live 8 Sponsorship to Launch Nation's Largest Celebration of Local Heroes

Nominations Accepted at www.volvoforlifeawards.com; Total of $1 Million in Charitable Contributions to Heroes; Winner Receives a Car for Life

IRVINE, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Volvo Cars of North America today announced it will launch the nation's largest-ever search for and celebration of every day, local heroes during its global sponsorship of the Live 8 concert event to end poverty this Saturday, July 2.

Volvo will air a series of 30-second advertisements during the Live 8 telecast on ABC-TV Saturday, 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. ET, to introduce the Volvo for life Awards, which will call on people nationwide to visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com to nominate a local hero they know doing the extraordinary in the areas of safety, environment or quality of life.

"Live 8 is about inspiring others to help improve the quality of life of individuals worldwide," said Anne Belec, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Cars of North America. "We sought to communicate through our sponsorship Volvo's longstanding commitment to these same values. The best way to show and tell our commitment is by officially launching our fourth annual Volvo for life Awards during Live 8."

Now in its fourth year, the Volvo for life Awards each year celebrates hometown heroes nationwide with a total of $1 million in charitable contributions, with one hero receiving a new car every three years for the rest of his or her life.

Joining AOL and Nokia as the event's largest sponsors, Volvo's support for Live 8 will feature a variety of advertising and other co-branded initiatives throughout the day of the event and in subsequent months.

Billed as "The Long Walk to Justice," Live 8 will include free public concerts held in Philadelphia, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Moscow, Edinburgh and Toronto. The concerts are non-partisan rallying points calling on the members of the G8 Summit to drop the debts owed to them by the world's 18 poorest countries and to significantly increase the aid provided to those countries.

During the American telecast, Volvo will air a spot called "Imbabazi," which tells the story of past Volvo for life Awards winner Rosamond Carr, a former New Jersey resident who at the age of 93 has for the past 11 years overseen an orphanage for children orphaned by the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The ad will encourage individuals to visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com to tell the story of a local hero they know. Volvo will accept nominations through Jan. 15, 2006.

During the nomination period, Volvo will profile select nominees on www.volvoforlifeawards.com and in the media. Volvo is conducting this program to bring attention to the outstanding contributions individuals make to their communities and to inspire others to do the same.

In February 2006, Volvo will select 100 semi-finalists who will receive a certificate of merit to honor their accomplishments. Volvo will then select the top three finalists in three categories: safety, quality of life and environment.

From these nine finalists, a panel of judges representing some of the world's foremost experts on care, conscience and character -- including Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Sir Richard Branson, Caroline Kennedy, Maya Lin, Paul Newman, Dr. Sally Ride, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and last year's top winner Hope Bevilhymer -- will name one winner in each of the three categories. The category winners will each receive $50,000 to be donated to the charities of their choice. The remaining six finalists will each receive a $25,000 charitable donation.

The three category winners will be honored in New York on April 12, 2006 at the Volvo for life Awards Ceremony in Times Square Studios Ltd. The event will feature top music entertainment and a celebrity host, as well as three documentaries profiling the category winners. The overall winner will be named "America's Greatest Hometown Hero" and be presented with a Volvo car every three years for the rest of his or her life.

To learn more and to nominate a hero, visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com. A Spanish version of the site can also be accessed at this address.

CONTACT: Soren Johansson, Volvo Cars of North America, 949-341-6719, sjohan44@volvocars.com.

Eric Davis, Haberman & Associates, 612-372-6447, eric@modernstorytellers.com

Source: Volvo Cars of North America

CONTACT: Soren Johansson of Volvo Cars of North America, +1-949-341-6719, sjohan44@volvocars.com; or Eric Davis of Haberman & Associates, +1-612-372-6447, eric@modernstorytellers.com, for Volvo Cars of North America

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

------- Profile: Ent