GEICO Announces Campaign to Help Raise Remaining Funds for Sniper Victims' Families

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- GEICO announced today its partnership with the Victims' Rights Foundation and Inkjets for Charity to help raise funds to assist families of the Washington sniper attacks.

GEICO and GEICO associates are donating old cell phones and printer cartridges for recycling in order to raise the remaining $50,000 portion of the Foundation's $500,000 overall goal, and the GEICO Foundation is also making a monetary contribution to the effort.

According to Greg Wims, founder and head of the Foundation, "We appreciate GEICO stepping up to the plate to assist us in this very worthwhile cause. On behalf of the 16 families involved, we offer our sincere appreciation to GEICO."

Bill Roberts, GEICO's executive vice president, said that GEICO will donate the company's older model cell phones and used printer cartridges to raise funds. "We are glad to be part of this program and are reaching out to other companies to get involved." GEICO's project director Shan LaCoste noted, "Our associates have been the first to support the program and are contributing their own cell phones and cartridges to help raise funds for the families."

Inkjets for Charities, headquartered in Greenbelt, Md., will recycle the items and make a donation to the Victims' Rights Foundation for each cell phone and printer cartridge that is contributed. Wherever possible, the discarded cell phones will be reprogrammed and made available to local police departments to give to residents for emergency 911 calls.

Following last fall's sniper attacks in which 10 people were killed in the Washington area and six others wounded, the Victims' Rights Foundation pledged to help the families by raising $500,000. The Foundation has raised roughly $450,000 to date and expects that the cell phone-printer cartridge donation program will help reach the fund-raising goal.

Washington-area residents can participate by contributing their old cell phones and printer cartridges. Collection boxes for the donated items are now located at Exxon and Crown gas stations. Neal Holtz, president of Inkjets for Charity, pointed out, "We're asking companies to call us at 301-486-0011 or visit our website at http://www.donatecartridges.com/ and request a collection box for their office. When the box is full, Inkjets for Charity will have a driver collect the recycled items."

Citizens may also send a contribution directly to the Victims' Rights Foundation at 814 W. Diamond Ave., Suite 200, Gaithersburg, Md., 20878. The organization's Web site is at http://www.victimsrights.net/.

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is one of the fastest- growing auto insurers in the nation and insures more than 4.9 million policyholders and over 7.3 million automobiles. GEICO uses television, radio, print media and direct mail to attract customers to call its 1-800-841-3000 number, and keeps its rates low by dealing directly with the customer. GEICO offers sales and claim services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com/.

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) and its affiliates GEICO General, GEICO Indemnity and GEICO Casualty companies insure private passenger automobiles and provide homeowner and other types of insurance for qualified applicants. The companies market collectively under the trademark GEICO Direct.