Friday, December 6, 2002

Local residents win Prudential Community Champions Award

Joanne P. DiMatteo of Peachtree City, a Prudential Financial, Inc. retiree, received a Prudential Community Champions Rising Star Award of $250 for Fayette Community Hospital.

Victoria E. Rickicki of Sharpsburg, a representative for Prudential Financial, Inc. in the U.S. Consumer Group business unit in Atlanta, also received a Rising Star Award of $250 for the hospital.

The 11th Annual Prudential Community Champions Awards Program, administered by the Company's Local Initiatives Division, is recognizing 853 Prudential employees and retirees who excel in volunteer commitment, leadership and service in their communities. The Prudential Foundation is providing $613,000 in grants to the organizations in which these associates volunteer.

"At Prudential, we remain steadfast supporters of our employees' and retirees' desire to play an active role in their communities," said Gabriella Morris, president of The Prudential Foundation and vice president of Community Resources for Prudential. "We applaud the accomplishments of all of this year's Community Champion award winners as they embody the spirit of volunteerism and a heartfelt commitment to helping others."

DiMatteo devoted an average of seven hours per month in volunteer services to the Fayette Community Hospital during 2001. She volunteered at the information desk and was responsible for giving visitors directions, answering phones and delivering flowers to patients. Because the information desk is at the front entrance of the hospital, DiMatteo ensured that all patients and visitors received a positive first impression and the assistance they needed to make their stay as pleasant as possible.

The Fayette Community Hospital provides maximum health care support to the community. Hospital volunteers aim to assist staff, patients and visitors in any way possible to ensure that everyone receives the best quality of service.

Rickicki, a volunteer with the Fayette Community Hospital Auxiliary, devoted an average of eight hours per month to the organization. Her volunteer services included membership outreach and updating the membership directory. She acted as an assistant to the auxiliary president as well. In addition, Rickicki served on the fund-raising golf tournament committee. The mission of the Fayette Community Hospital Auxiliary is to assist in promoting the health and welfare of citizens of the community through various ways approved by the Fayette Community Hospital's board of directors.

Prudential Community Champions grants include 35 Golden Star Awards of $5,000 each, seven All-Star Team Awards of $5,000 each, 275 Shining Star Awards of $1,000 each, 12 Rising Star Team Awards of $500 or $250 each, 493 Rising Star Awards of $250 each and 31 awards to employees in Argentina, Canada, England, Italy and Japan totaling $14,000.

"Prudential Financial's Community Champions is a prime example of solid business practice and commitment to the community," said Charles H. Moore, executive director of the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), the only national forum of business CEOs with an agenda exclusively focused on corporate giving. "This long-standing campaign provides an excellent model of good citizenship to other major corporations around the globe and emphasizes employee volunteerism as an ongoing responsibility and successful program way of life."

"The Community Champions Program offers us a terrific opportunity to recognize our employees while providing much-needed funding for the good causes they support," said Mary O'Malley, vice president of Prudential's Local Initiatives Division. "Not only is the relationship between the volunteer and the non'-profit organization strengthened, but also the local community as a whole benefits from the combination of volunteer hours and monetary award."

Founded in 1977, The Prudential Foundation is the nonprofit grant-making organization of The Prudential Insurance Company of America. It is part of Prudentials Community Resources Division, a strategic combination of three units: The Foundation, which strives to build children and families' self-sufficiency; Local Initiatives, which coordinates employee volunteerism and fosters community partnerships; and the Social Investment Program, which originates and manages socially beneficial investments.

Prudential Financial companies, with approximately $557 billion in total assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2002, serve individual and institutional customers worldwide and include The Prudential Insurance Company of America, one of the largest life insurance companies in the U.S. These companies offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, property and casualty insurance, mutual funds, annuities, pension and retirement related services and administration, asset management, securities brokerage, banking and trust services, real estate brokerage franchises and relocation services. For more information, visit www.prudential.com.