Press Releases

CHICAGO (March 19, 2007) – YMCA of the USA and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) today announced 30 Kimberly-Clark Everyday Healthy Day Grants totaling $300,000 to YMCAs implementing innovative health and wellness programming that positively impacts individuals and families in their local communities. This is the second consecutive year these grants have been offered as part of Kimberly-Clark's $3 million pledge in support of YMCA Activate America&#8482, the YMCA's national public health initiative combating obesity and chronic disease and seeking to make healthy living a reality for millions of Americans.

"Since 2001, Kimberly-Clark has been a dedicated partner to the YMCA as we work to support and encourage individuals and families to live healthier lives," said Neil Nicoll, President and CEO of YMCA of the USA. "Their support of YMCA Activate America demonstrates their strong commitment to America's collective health and well-being. Through these grants, YMCAs are able to implement innovative programs that can significantly impact community health across the country."

YMCA Activate America is a national initiative that is rallying YMCAs across the country to help children and adults discover and sustain healthier ways to live, especially those who struggle to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle for themselves and/or their family.

The 30 Kimberly-Clark Everyday Healthy Day Grants, distributed to YMCAs near Kimberly-Clark facilities nationwide, recognize and reward outstanding examples of innovative and impactful programming. This programming includes:

• The San Pedro & Peninsula YMCA (San Pedro, CA) will use its grant to support the Everyday Healthy Eating Program, geared toward low-income Latino families with an aim to educate participants about nutrition and healthy eating through weekly education and cooking classes taught at the YMCA.
• The YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas (Dallas, TX) will use its grant to start Walk it Off, Keep it Off, a three-month walking and cardio program.
• The Phoenixville Area YMCA Spring Valley Branch (Limerick, PA) will use its grant to help support its Youth Training Program, an important community resource focused on educating children about the benefits of establishing healthy lifestyle habits at an early age. The program is designed for youth ages 9 to 14 years and emphasizes physical activity, nutritional education, peer support and fun.

Please visit www.ymca.net/about_the_ymca/press_room.html for a complete list of grant recipients.

"Kimberly-Clark is pleased to recognize these YMCAs and their programs as models for making healthy living a reality for children and families," said Carolyn Mentesana, Vice President, Kimberly-Clark Foundation. "Consistent with our corporate mission of improving the health and hygiene of people every day, everywhere, we are proud to support YMCA Activate America and the YMCA's commitment to addressing America's health and inactivity crisis."

As a national sponsor of YMCA Activate America, Kimberly-Clark not only awards grants to local YMCAs, but also supports other key components of the initiative, including YMCA organizational transformation efforts to better serve individuals and families, YMCA Healthy Kids® Day and the Pioneering Healthier Communities initiative. Now in its seventh consecutive year as a corporate partner, Kimberly-Clark has committed more than $12 million to the YMCA of the USA to further the Y's mission of building strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

YMCAs have long been at the forefront of efforts to serve the health and wellness of individuals and communities. YMCA Activate America is meant to build on the long history and service of meeting community and individual needs. YMCAs are collectively one of the largest providers of health and wellness programs and activities in the country, serving more than 8,500 communities and neighborhoods nationwide from more than 10,000 program sites. They are the largest charitable provider of youth activities, such as child care, after school programs, camping and sports.

ABOUT YMCA ACTIVATE AMERICA&#8482: YMCA Activate America builds upon the YMCA's 155-year track record of pioneering efforts that respond to timely societal needs – in this case, America's health crisis. Launched in 2004, YMCA Activate America is an ambitious public health initiative that is seeking to make healthy living a reality for millions of Americans by directly helping individuals and families live healthier lives, and by helping YMCAs lead their communities and the nation to reduce barriers and increase supports for healthy living. Expert advisors to the YMCA on this initiative include: Harvard University School of Public Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Steps to a HealthierUS, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living by Design program, the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors and others. Visit www.ymca.net/activateamerica.

ABOUT KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION:
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 135-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com\aboutus\community_involvement.aspx.

ABOUT THE YMCA:
The nation's 2,617 YMCAs serve more than 20.2 million people each year, including 9.5 million youth under age 18, uniting men, women and children of all ages, faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. From urban areas to small towns, YMCAs are a place for people to belong, serving America's children, families and communities for 155 years by "building healthy spirit, mind and body for all." Visit www.ymca.net.