True Value and the Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) to Make Children's Wishes Come True at Final True Value IROC Race

    CHICAGO, Aug. 3 Among the 250,000 NASCAR fans attending
the race activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 3-5, will be
four very special fans -- wish children Patrick, 6, Ariana, 9, Wagas, 7, and
Derrick, 17.  True Value and the Make-A-Wish Foundation are hosting all four
wish children and their families for an entire weekend of racing activities.
    In addition to watching the fourth and final True Value IROC race of the
year from the Hulman George Suite, the four wish families will have the
opportunity to participate in activities few race fans will ever experience --
tour the garage and pit areas, attend an exclusive "drivers' only" pre-race
meeting, participate in the True Value IROC Winner's Circle celebration in
Victory Lane, meet their favorite drivers, and watch the Brickyard 400 Winston
Cup race from the grandstand area.
    "We wanted to make the entire weekend an experience that these children
and their families would never forget," said Dave Davis, Vice President of
Marketing of True Value.  "As the official hardware store of NASCAR and the
title sponsor of the True Value IROC series, we are in a unique position to
help make these racing wishes become a reality."
    According to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, wishes to attend racing events
and to meet professional racecar drivers are among the top sports-related
requests they receive from Make-A-Wish(R) children.
    Through their partnership with True Value, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has
discovered that "Help is Just Around the Corner" when granting wishes at major
racing events.  Since announcing its partnership with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation, True Value has helped grant wishes for nine other children at the
three previous True Value IROC races this year, in Daytona, Florida,
Talladega, Alabama and Brooklyn, Michigan.
    Paula Van Ness, president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of
America, shares True Value retailers' excitement about this race and the
partnership in general.  "We are very pleased with True Value's commitment to
initiating company-wide programs with national and grassroots elements," said
Van Ness.  "Their commitment from retailers and associates will help many wish
children across the country."
    True Value also will display its hotline number, 1-800-6HARDWARE, on the
in-car camera that will be placed inside the pole car for the race.  Viewers
who watch the tape-delayed True Value IROC race will be able to join True
Value in supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation by calling the hotline and
making a contribution.  One hundred percent of their donations will be
directly forwarded to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
    The pole car for the final True Value IROC race of the year will be
designated as the special Make-A-Wish car.  The car will be decorated with
children's handprints representing all of the wish children who will benefit
from the partnership between True Value and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  The
car has led the pack at all of this year's True Value IROC races.
    The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-
threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and
joy.  It is the largest wish-granting organization in the world, with
81 chapters in the United States and its territories, and 22 international
affiliates on five continents.  Since being founded in 1980, the Make-A-Wish
Foundation has granted more than 83,000 wishes to children with life-
threatening illnesses.  For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation,
please visit their Web site at http://www.wish.org.

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