Peace Corps Honors DaimlerChrysler's Frank Fountain

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 1 -- The Peace Corps has awarded Frank Fountain, DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President - External Affairs and Public Policy, its 2005 Franklin H. Williams Award for his continued commitment to community service in the spirit of the Peace Corps. Established in 1999, the Franklin H. Williams Award pays tribute to returned Peace Corps volunteers of color who are committed to community service and who support the agency's goal of promoting a better understanding of other cultures. The award is named after the former Peace Corps Regional Director for Africa and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Franklin H. Williams. Fountain is one of 11 former Peace Corps volunteers to receive the award.

"I'm honored by this recognition and fortunate to be part of a company that celebrates the same value of community service that I learned as a Peace Corps volunteer," Fountain said.

Fountain served from 1966 to 1968 in West Bengal, India, assisting farmers in yielding higher volume rice crops. He also collaborated with local craftsmen to develop new marketing techniques for expanded business. Fountain reflected that, "Most of the success I have experienced throughout my career can be traced back to the intense, challenging, sometimes painful, but always inspiring experience of my two years in West Bengal."

In his position at DaimlerChrysler, Fountain oversees the company's philanthropic efforts through the DaimlerChrysler Fund. The Fund annually supports hundreds of charitable organizations with an emphasis on community growth, arts and education in the United States and throughout the world. Fountain also serves on numerous Boards of Directors, including: Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Africare, Detroit Public Schools Board of Education and the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan.

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