News

Atlanta (Oct. 15, 2002) - Talk show hostess and three-time Emmy nominated actress Kelly Ripa will host the 2002 Angel Soft® Angels in Action® Awards in Los Angeles on Monday, Oct. 28, at The El Capitan Theatre. The event honors 10 ordinary kids who have earned an extraordinary title through selfless dedication to their communities, a charity or cause. Each winner will receive $5,000 and a one-year supply of Angel Soft bath tissue.

"I'm excited to be a part of the third annual Angel Soft Angels in Action Awards," Ripa said. "The awards ceremony in Los Angeles is the culmination of a year-long search for kids who are not only giving back to their communities, but showing an ongoing and whole-hearted commitment to helping others. I look forward to honoring this year's winners, who are such incredible role models."

From creating their own non-profit organizations, to taking leadership roles in their communities and schools, the following winners were selected for their exemplary acts of service:

• Zach Ebers, 16, St. Louis - Zach's "Breakfast Bonanza" cereal drive helps feed needy children during the summer when school meal programs are not available. Last summer, Zach collected 5,000 boxes of cereal, providing assistance to 10 regional food pantries.
• Jodie Leyfert, 10, Pottstown, Pa. - Inspired by her own trip to the emergency room, Jodie created a program called "Hospital Hugs" that donates teddy bears to comfort children during their stays.
• Clayton Lillard, 13, San Antonio - Clayton and his "Backyard Crew" re-build and donate used bikes to bring Christmas joy to children of inmates.
• Lorraine Mercado, 11, New York - Over the past year, Lorraine has volunteered more than 340 hours of her time sewing sleeping bags for the homeless and serving hot meals in soup kitchens.
• Shane Saunders, 10, Wildomar, Calif. - Shane assists orthopedic and multiple disabled students, helping them participate in outdoor recess, art projects, campus mobility, story time and holiday parties.
• Chanel Suares, 15, Long Beach, Calif. - Chanel's "Sharing Caring Giving" program gathers and donates blankets to children and families in hospitals and shelters.
• Erin Rosen-Watson, 15, Natick, Mass. - After learning that many children enter foster care with only the clothes on their backs, Erin and her 400 volunteers now provide a carrying case filled with necessities.
• Matthew Westmoreland, 15, Atlanta - Matt's annual "Adopt-a-Child" program provides hundreds of dollars and gifts for children in group homes. Matt's September 11 fundraiser raised more than $4,000.
• Lauren Wilbourn, 14, Lawrenceville, Ga. - Lauren's "Kidz-for-a-Kure" team, which she recruited and organized, has raised more than $57,000 for the American Cancer Society's "Relay For Life."
• Craig Wolsten, 13, East Brunswick, N.J. - Craig created "The Happy Birthday Foundation," which provides birthday parties to children in homeless shelters.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of tissue, packaging, paper, building products, pulp and related chemicals. With annual sales of more than $25 billion, the company employs approximately 71,000 people at 600 locations in North America and Europe. Its familiar consumer tissue brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Sparkle®, Soft 'n Gentle®, Mardi Gras®, So-Dri®, Green Forest® and Vanity Fair®, as well as the Dixie® brand of disposable cups, plates and cutlery. Georgia-Pacific's building products distribution segment has long been among the nation's leading wholesale suppliers of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. In addition, Georgia-Pacific's Unisource Worldwide subsidiary is one of the largest distributors of packaging systems, printing and imaging papers and maintenance supplies in North America.

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