America Selects Orono Resident Matthew Sanford as One of the Nation's Top Hometown Heroes

Mind Body Solutions Founder, Sanford, Who Is Revolutionizing the Rehabilitation Process, Reaches Finals of 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards

Celebrity Judges Will Select and Unveil Top Four Winners March 19 at Volvo for life Awards Ceremony in New York; One Hero Will Receive a Volvo Car for Life

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 18 -- For the past nine weeks, hundreds of thousands of members of the American public have been casting their votes online to decide the country's favorite hometown heroes in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards (http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/). The polls are officially closed and Orono's Matthew Sanford is among nine finalists for this prestigious award.

The final decision now rests in the hands of a distinguished panel of celebrity judges who are experts on care, conscience and character -- Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Maya Lin, Dr. Sally Ride, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Mae Jemison and Edsel Ford. The judges will now review Sanford and eight other finalists' nominations to select the program's top three winners in the categories of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment and the Volvo for life Awards grand award winner.

Sanford, who founded Mind Body Solutions, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revolutionizing the rehabilitation process, is one of three finalists being honored in the Volvo for life Awards quality of life category. Sanford is guaranteed to receive $25,000 in charitable contributions from Volvo and if he's named the winner in his category, his award will be $100,000. If named grand award winner, he would receive the added bonus of a Volvo car for life.

If Sanford is selected as a category winner, Volvo will fly him and his fellow winners to New York to be honored at the world famous 42nd St. Cipriani's during the Volvo for life Awards ceremony on March 19, 2008. The program's grand award winner will also be announced that evening.

"I am excited by what lies ahead for our non-profit," Sanford said. "My pioneering work is at a pivotal juncture. We are on the brink of bringing hope and potential to so many more people and this award makes that not only possible, but probable. I am both honored and grateful."

More About Matthew Sanford

At age 13, Sanford, now 42, was involved in a car crash that took the lives of his father and sister, and left him paralyzed from the chest down. Advice from his doctors to "forget his lower body," however, was what really crippled Sanford, leading him to ignore his once-athletic body, until he discovered yoga at age 25 and the power of the mind-body connection. Now he is a nationally recognized yoga teacher, author and renowned expert in mind-body integration who has inspired and enhanced the lives of thousands. In 2001, Sanford founded Mind Body Solutions, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the simple and practical notion that minds and bodies work better together, offering programs in the workplace, in corporations, at the yoga studio and in the community at large.

Sanford teaches yoga to people of all abilities at the Courage Center in Minneapolis and at fitness studios throughout the country, but he is a pioneer in adapting yoga for people living with disabilities. Sanford also shares his philosophy on the fundamental importance of the mind-body relationship for everyone through his personal memoir 'Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence,' and a busy schedule of speaking engagements to a broad base of audiences nationwide. He is currently using his personal experience to help transform the delivery of healthcare, including an initiative for veterans.

About the Volvo for life Awards

Since 2002, Volvo Cars of North America has identified more than 18,000 everyday heroes in its annual Volvo for life Awards (http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/) and has contributed millions of dollars to their causes. Three individuals are recognized annually in the award program's Safety, Quality of Life and Environment categories. Each winner in these categories receives a $100,000 contribution to the charity of his or her choice. The program's grand winner receives an added bonus of a Volvo car for life. The remaining six Safety, Quality of Life and Environment finalists receive donations of $25,000 to the charities of their choice. Additionally, the Butterfly Award is given to an exceptional child hero. Children who are no older than 16 as of October 15, 2007 are eligible to receive this award, which includes a $25,000 donation to a charity selected by the winning child hero and his or her family. The remaining Butterfly finalists each receive a $10,000 contribution. The award is in honor of Alexandra Scott, a Volvo for life Awards winner from Wynnewood, Pa. who, before passing away at age 8 from cancer, raised more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research through lemonade sales and other fundraising activities. Alex's parents select the winner from three finalists.

  The other finalists in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards are:

  Safety:
  --  Marilyn Adams, 57 of Earlham, Iowa, founded Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
      and set out on a mission to promote safe farm environments across the
      country and eliminate farm-related child health hazards, injuries and
      fatalities.
  --  Ronald Dundon, 58 of Kalamazoo, Mich., founded the AED (Automatic
      External Defibrillator) Fund of Kalamazoo County to help increase the
      chances of survival for future sudden cardiac arrest victims in
      underserved communities.
  --  Through his program "Driver's Edge," Las Vegas-native Jeff Payne, 40,
      teaches thousands of youth how to avoid vehicle accidents and drive
      safely.

  Quality of Life:
  --  John Dau, 35 of Syracuse, N.Y., has raised $700,000 to improve
      healthcare and literacy in southern Sudan.
  --  Darius Weems, 18 of Athens, Ga., works to raise money and awareness
      for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) research through "Darius Goes
      West," a documentary that chronicles his courageous journey across
      America.

  Environment:
  --  Lorraine Kerwood, 47 of Eugene, Ore., created an electronics recycling
      and distribution center, NextStep, which brings refurbished computers
      to disadvantaged communities.
  --  Zander Srodes, 17 of Cape Haze, Fla., has educated more than 5,000
      students about sea turtle conservation through a series of educational
      presentations called "Turtle Talks," which he developed along with a
      children's activity book on the subject.
  --  Charles Turner, 48 of Sedley, Va., founded the Blackwater-Nottoway
      Riverkeeper Program, which mobilizes individuals to patrol rivers
      looking for signs of pollution and educate others about the importance
      of clean, wild waterways.

  Butterfly Award:
  --  Zach Bonner, 10 of Valrico, Fla., founded the Little Red Wagon
      Foundation, Inc., an organization that collects and donates backpacks
      filled with food and school items to disadvantaged children
      nationwide.
  --  Rocco Fiorentino, 11 of Voorhees, N.J., has been blind since birth and
      works with the Little Rock Foundation, a nonprofit organization
      established by his family to provide resources for children, parents,
      therapists, and educators who are facing issues related to blindness.
  --  Dallas Jessup, 16 of Vancouver, Wash., wrote and produced "Just Yell
      Fire," a film for women of all ages illustrating simple self-defense
      strategies to defend against an attack, kidnapping or sexual assault.