Finale of ShopKo Charity Golf Classic Pushes Special Olympics Contribution Past $18 Million Mark

Finale of ShopKo Charity Golf Classic Pushes Special Olympics Contribution Past $18 Million Mark

GREEN BAY, Wis., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The finale of the ShopKo Golf Classic, held earlier today on nine Green Bay area golf courses, raised another $1 million for Special Olympics bringing the total raised for Special Olympics since 1994 to $18,144,263. The ShopKo Golf Classic has raised more than $20 million for charity since it was founded in 1980.

"I could not be more proud of the efforts of ShopKo's teammates and suppliers," said ShopKo co-chief executive officer Paul White. "Over the years, our friends in Special Olympics have shared their courage and their hearts with us, and we are honored to once again support and celebrate their achievements."

The ShopKo Charity Golf Classic is the largest one-day fundraising event in the world benefiting Special Olympics. The Classic brings ShopKo suppliers and vendors together from across the world, including leading consumer product marketers and manufacturers like Procter & Gamble, McKesson Corporation, VF Jeanswear, AAi Foster Grant, Reebok and Bausch & Lomb.

PGA great Larry Mize and Nationwide tour star Jason Gore participated in the event along with golf long-drive champion Sean Fister; Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005; and 15 Special Olympics athletes representing the states where ShopKo stores are located.

ShopKo announced earlier this year the 2005 ShopKo Charity Golf Classic will be its last, but it will not end ShopKo's commitment to its communities. With the establishment of The ShopKo Foundation, a non-profit trust, ShopKo will now be contributing to charitable causes in slightly different ways which will not necessarily include a yearly golf outing.

ShopKo Stores, Inc. (NYSE:SKO) is a retailer of quality goods and services headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., with stores located throughout the Midwest, Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions. Retail formats include 140 ShopKo stores, providing quality name-brand merchandise, great values, pharmacy and optical services in mid-sized to larger cities; 223 Pamida stores, 116 of which contain pharmacies, bringing value and convenience close to home in small, rural communities; and three ShopKo Express Rx stores, a new and convenient neighborhood drugstore concept. With more than $3.0 billion in annual sales, ShopKo Stores, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SKO. For more information about ShopKo, Pamida or ShopKo Express Rx, visit our Web site at http://www.shopko.com/ .

Special Olympics is an international year-round program of sports training and competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities. One million athletes in more than 160 countries train and compete in 26 Olympic-type summer and winter sports. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics gives people with intellectual disabilities continual opportunities to develop fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy as they participate in the sharing of gifts and friendship with their own families.

Source: ShopKo Stores, Inc.

CONTACT: John Vigeland of ShopKo Stores, Inc., +1-920-429-4132

Web site: http://www.shopko.com/ http://www.shopkogolfclassic.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Note to newspaper, magazine editors: High-resolution downloadable photos of today's ShopKo Charity Golf Classic are available at http://www.shopkogolfclassic.com . Please contact Laura Hunt at 920.429.7326 if you have questions or encounter problems downloading the photos.

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