DaimlerChrysler Exchange Students Volunteer at Detroit's Focus: HOPE

* 48 students from Germany, the U.S. and Canada exchange homes and learn about culture and community service * DaimlerChrysler Youth Beyond Borders participants will help feed needy Detroiters

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 20 -- The children of DaimlerChrysler employees in Germany will do much more than sightsee during their upcoming visit to the United States. As part of the Youth Beyond Borders (YBB) Program, the students will volunteer today to prepare lunches for the homeless at one of Detroit's most worthwhile charities, Focus: HOPE.

YBB is an exchange program in which the children of DaimlerChrysler employees from the U.S., Canada and Germany switch homelands for three weeks in an effort to learn about their respective cultures and countries. While the program attempts to broaden cultural exposure, it also encourages volunteerism with local civic organizations.

During their visit in the U.S., the students will plant trees in downtown Detroit as part of the Greening of Detroit project. Additionally, they will tour the Design Center at the DaimlerChrysler Technology Center, the Walter P. Chrysler Museum, the (Dodge) Viper Plant, and the Toledo North Assembly Plant -- home of Jeep Liberty.

Other tours include the Ontario Science Center, Niagara Falls (Ontario, Canada), Cedar Point Amusement Park (Sandusky, Ohio), and the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois. They also will participate in cultural seminars and visit historic sites in the United States, Canada and Germany.

"The communities in which we operate have been supportive of us, and in turn, our goal is to exercise responsible corporate citizenship," said Frank Fountain, Chrysler Group Senior Vice President -- Government Affairs and President of the DaimlerChrysler Fund. "The community service projects are designed to demonstrate the importance of volunteerism in our communities and within our country."

According to Nancy Rae, Chrysler Group Senior Vice President-Human Resources, YBB provides a valuable international experience for teens. "We are committed to providing global learning experiences for our employees as well as their children. We are proud to offer these young people the opportunity to discover new cultures and learn about life in a different country."

Today in Germany, the children of DaimlerChrysler's U.S. and Canadian employees will volunteer to help preserve and protect the moorland, which was damaged in an oil spill. These students also will tour the Mercedes-Benz plants in Sindelfingen and Untertuerkheim, the Design Center, the Mercedes- Benz Wind Tunnel and the Mercedes-Benz Museum. They also will visit Sanssouci Palace (Potsdam), Checkpoint Charlie, Potsdam Square (Berlin) and participate in a Weser River Cruise in Bremen (Northern Germany).

YBB's mission is to foster a greater appreciation for people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Since its inception in 1999, more than 270 young people have taken part in the exchange program. Participating students range in age from 15-17 years old. A total of 48 students from Germany, Canada and the U.S. are participating in the program this year.

Focus: HOPE is a nationally-recognized civil and human rights organization in Detroit. It was founded in 1968 after the city's devastating 1967 riots by the late Father William Cunningham and Eleanor Josaitis, who serves now as chief operating officer.

Focus: HOPE offers a food program that provides food to 43,000 seniors, mothers and children every month; career training programs in machining, engineering and information technologies; Montessori-based child care; business conference facilities; community arts initiatives and other outreach programs. Through Focus: HOPE, thousands of individuals -- especially women and minorities -- have become financially independent.

For more information, visit the web site at: www.focushope.edu .

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