Jul 01, 2003
Program Seeks to Make a 'Permanent' Mark on Community-based Education
Organizations
BELLWOOD, Ill., July 1, 2003 - Sharpie®, the world's most popular brand of
permanent markers recently featured in a high profile touchdown
celebration, is teaming up with All-Pro San Francisco 49er wide receiver
Terrell Owens to support community-based education. Starting this summer,
Sharpie, Owens and a fleet of metallic silver all-terrain vehicles are
scoring another touchdown - this time through the "Sharpie Metallic
AUTOgraphs for Education" program that supports quality learning
experiences for kids.
Kicking off today in Owens' adopted hometown of Atlanta, the Sharpie
Metallic AUTOgraphs for Education program enlists the help of sports
figures and celebrities to deliver school supplies and raise funds for
community education groups across the country. Owens and other notable
sports celebrities will visit summer programs at local Boys & Girls
Clubs, schools and other organizations in select cities, arriving in
custom-designed Sharpie Metallic Silver Hummer H2 vehicles, to deliver
school supplies and collect signatures on oversized 8-by-10 foot
AUTOgraph walls. Sharpie will donate funds to these organizations based
on signatures collected across America, totaling up to $15,000 in cash
with a matching donation in school and art supplies. Owens will be on
hand today to gather signatures from Atlanta community members as well
as AUTOgraph the Sharpie vehicle.
"Sharpie's AUTOgraphs for Education program has a little different twist
for me, because I'm the one in search of other people's signatures,"
said Owens. "But these autographs are more than a collector's item -
they are providing organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs and
underprivileged schools with the means - and the tools - to give kids a
great learning experience. My teachers and coaches have had a huge
impact in my life. I'm excited to have this opportunity to make a
difference in kids' lives."
The Sharpie Metallic AUTOgraphs for Education event at the Brookhaven
Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta is the first of six local-market events
this summer and fall that will occur at designated community programs
and schools across the United States.After the Atlanta kickoff, five
additional Sharpie AUTOgraph blitzes will take place in Chicago, Denver,
St. Louis, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. In each city, local
professional sports figures and celebrities will seek autographs from
teachers, children, parents and the media to benefit designated
community education programs.
"Sharpie is thrilled to team up with Terrell Owens for this worthwhile
education program," said Greg Stoner, vice president and general manager
for Sharpie."Through this program, we can help support community
education initiatives like those at Boys & Girls Clubs and schools
across the country."
In addition to helping children in local communities, Sharpie Metallic
is also featuring the all-terrain vehicles as part of the "Sharpie H24U
Hummer H2 Giveaway Sweepstakes," in which individuals can enter online
or via mail to win a silver Hummer H2 of their own. Four Sharpie
Metallic Silver H2s will travel the country this summer and fall,
visiting local fairs and festivals in more than 150 cities nationwide,
offering the public a chance to enter the sweepstakes and interactive
displays from Sharpie. For official rules or to enter the sweepstakes,
visit
http://www.sanfordcorp.com/sanford/consumer/h2promo/jhtml/entry_options.jhtml.
Sharpie Metallic is the latest breakthrough product and first metallic
marker from Sharpie, the nearly 40-year-old permanent marker brand.
Perfect for marking on dark surfaces, Sharpie Metallic offers a silver
metallic ink and the permanence and dependability of the world's most
popular family of permanent markers.