State Farm Companies Foundation Supports Local Service-Learning in Fresno and Across

America Through $100,000 in Grants

FRESNO, CA AND WASHINGTON, D.C. — March 1, 2004 — Youth Service America (YSA) has awarded $1,000 to the Jumpstart for Young Children program at California State University, Fresno through the State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Awards. Selected from over 850 applicants, Jumpstart Fresno will use the funds to implement a service project during National Youth Service Day on April 16-18, 2004. Youth Service America awarded 100 service-learning project grants through the organization’s State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Awards.

As the Presenting Sponsor of National Youth Service Day 2004, State Farm Companies Foundation is making a substantial commitment to Youth Service America’s service-learning initiatives. In addition to financial support, many State Farm® employees and agents and their families will participate in local National Youth Service Day events nationwide.

National Youth Service Day is a public awareness and education campaign that highlights the amazing contributions that young people make to their communities 365 days a year. As the largest service event in the world, engaging millions of young people, National Youth Service Day draws together a remarkable consortium of local, regional and national partners, while supporting youth on a life-long path of service and civic engagement. Youth in over 150 countries join their U.S. peers as part of the Fifth Annual Global Youth Service Day, which takes place concurrently with support from the GM Foundation.

Jumpstart Kids Day will take place Friday, April 16, 2004, from 10 AM to 6 PM, as part of Vintage Days at California State University, Fresno. Jumpstart Kids Day is a free learning fair for young children and families involved in Head Start program, as well as other preschool programs throughout the community. For one day, these families will visit “learning stations,” made up of activities such as book making and face painting, that are staffed by Jumpstart Corps members, college students, and corporate volunteers. All learning stations are connected to children’s books, and volunteers help children understand the relevance of their specific activity. In this way, these fun learning activities help children develop social and language skills necessary for success later in school.

“As our greatest asset, it is only fitting that young people play a lead role in meeting community needs

through service-learning and civic engagement,” said Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth

Service America. “State Farm’s deep level of commitment fuels the positive, long-term cultural change

Youth Service America 1101 15″ Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005 202-292-2992

nysd@ysa.org www.YSA.org

that will make service-learning the common expectation and the common experience of all young people,” Culbertson added.

“I have highly enjoyed being part of an organization that gives back to the community,” said Drew Wilhite, Team Leader of the Jumpstart team serving at the Joyce M. Huggins Center at Fresno State. “I look forward to participating in Jumpstart Kids Day, as a part of National Youth Service Day, informing the community about Jumpstart and the positive impact we have.”

The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Awards engage more youth in service-learning, and highlight successful strategies for others to adapt. According to the National Commission on Service-Learning, service-learning is defined as a teaching and learning educational methodology that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. One hundred grants of $1,000 have been awarded to youth, teachers/professors, and school-based service-learning coordinators.

National Youth Service Day is coordinated by Youth Service America, in partnership with the National Youth Leadership Council and PARADE Magazine. Youth Service America is joined by a consortium that includes more than 85 of the nation’s largest nonprofit and youth development organizations, including America’s Promise; Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America; Campfire USA; Habitat for Humanity; National Education Association; the US Conference of Mayors; and YMCA of the USA. Financial support for National and Global Youth Service Day is provided by: State Farm Companies Foundation, GM Foundation, Disney Inc., Clay Aiken and the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, AT&T Foundation, and the National Education Association.

For more information or to schedule an interview please contact: Neil Dion, Assistant Program Coordinator, Jumpstart Fresno, (559) 278-8846, ndion@csufresno.edu.

Youth Service America (YSA) is a resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people in America, ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally. Founded in 1986, YSA’s mission is to strengthen the effectiveness, sustainability, and scale of the youth service and service-learning fields. A strong youth service movement will create healthy communities and foster citizenship, knowledge, and the personal development of young people. YSA envisions a powerful network of organizations committed to making service and service-learning the common expectation and common experience of all young people in America. For more information, visit: www.YSA.org. In addition to National Youth Service Day and Global Youth Service Day, which take place concurrently each April, YSA also hosts SERVEnet (www.SERVEnet.org), an award-winning one-stop portal for information and resources on service and volunteering with over 52 million volunteer opportunities.

ABOUT JUMPSTART

Jumpstart is a national organization that engages young people in service to work toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Jumpstart pairs a caring adult and a preschool child within the classroom setting in a personal one-to-one relationship to work together on reading, language, and social skills for one year. Through this relationship, Jumpstart prepares a child for success in school, encourages college students to be teachers and leaders in education, and strengthens a family’s involvement in its child’s educational development. Jumpstart Fresno currently engages 40 college students in service to over 200 children and operates throughout the Fresno community in seven preschools. Jumpstart’s national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, Pearson, and Starbucks. Local sponsors include Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. Jumpstart has been featured by the Boston Globe; CNN; New York Times; Newsweek, USA Today; and MTV. For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site at www.jstart.org.

Youth Service America 1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005 202-292-2992

nysd@ysa.org www.YSA.orq