DaimlerChrysler Honors Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in New York City

HARLEM, N.Y., Jan. 20 -- From Washington, DC to New York City and from Atlanta to Alabama, DaimlerChrysler and its companies are marking Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with activities that honor his life and answer his call for community service.

In New York City on the 21st, DaimlerChrysler will donate a 15-passenger Dodge Van to the Antioch Baptist Church in Harlem at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration (10:30 AM) with Congressman Charles Rangel and DaimlerChrysler Director of Public Policy Dennis Fitzgibbons. The van will be used to shuttle local children to and from the church's After School Tutorial Program.

According to Fitzgibbons, ``Organizations like the Antioch Baptist Church are out there serving our communities every day without much fanfare. When we heard they needed a vehicle to safely transport children to the church, we knew it had to be a Dodge.''

By closing facilities for the day, the corporation will allow more than 90,000 employees to celebrate January 21 with their families and in their own communities.

In Washington, DC, DaimlerChrysler is the top sponsor of Greater DC Cares' Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday of Service, in which the Washington, D.C. community is mobilized to do volunteer projects and tribute events. At the city's official holiday ceremony on January 21, hosted by the District of Columbia Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission and Greater DC Cares, DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President of External Affairs Robert Liberatore will speak about the responsibility of corporations in America to reflect the values of their country, their employees and their customers.

``Corporate citizenship and responsibility can be expressed with philanthropic donations, investments in communities and the preservation of our environment,'' said Liberatore. ``But, as was made so clear after September 11, it also is expressed through moral and philosophical support of those values that are so vital to our country. DaimlerChrysler believes in the freedom, respect and equality that Dr. King preached so powerfully three decades ago and we commit to demonstrate it every day with our employees, our customers and in the communities across this country in which we operate.''

DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group will also sponsor The International Salute to the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC on Monday the 21st. Liberatore and DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President of Government Affairs W. Frank Fountain will both participate in this breakfast program.

According to Fountain, ``Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an important time to reflect on what it means to be an American. Like Memorial Day and other holidays, the day prompts us to appreciate the freedom and liberty we have in this country, and honor those people, such as Dr. King, who dedicated themselves to ensuring that freedom endures.''

DaimlerChrysler is one of the world's leading transportation and services companies and the producer of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Mercedes-Benz automobiles and Freightliner heavy-duty trucks.

Additional DaimlerChrysler company activities on MLK Jr. Day, 2002:

* Mercedes-Benz USA will sponsor The Salute to Greatness at the King Center in Atlanta. * Mercedes-Benz USI is among the sponsors of the Annual Unity Breakfast in Birmingham, Alabama. The breakfast is one of the largest in the nation with more than 5,000 attendees. The plant also will host Diversity Awareness Week at the plant, with a variety of activities celebrating the company's commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. * DaimlerChrysler will donate a 15-passenger Dodge Van to the Antioch Baptist Church in Harlem, New York at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration with Congressman Charles Rangel and DaimlerChrysler Director of Public Policy Dennis Fitzgibbons. The van will be used to shuttle local children to and from the Church's daycare program. * DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group is sponsoring the Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES) Fifth Annual Martin Luther King Banquet Monday, Jan. 21, at the Burton Manor in Livonia, Michigan. MOSES is a grass-roots community organization uniting religious congregations on public policy issues such as transportation, education and human development. * The Chrysler Group is again sponsoring activities planned by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King. These include the third annual essay contest: "What the Message of Dr. Martin Luther King J. Means to Me" and a scholarship award ceremony, dinner and reception on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the Heritage Manor in Dearborn, Michigan.