Volvo Names Sitka Woman One of Nation's Three Top Hometown Heroes

Celebrity Judges to Honor Lisa Busch at March 24 Volvo for life Awards Ceremony in Times Square With a $50,000 Charitable Contribution; One Grand Winner Will Receive a Volvo Car for Life

SITKA, Alaska, March 14 -- Volvo Cars of North America today named Lisa Busch of Sitka, Alaska, one of the nation's top three hometown heroes in the third annual Volvo for life Awards. Busch, bringing environmentalists and timber proponents together to revitalize her community, is the top winner in the environmental hero category.

Busch will now go to New York City, where on March 24 she will be honored along with the Quality of Life and Safety category winners in Times Square at the Volvo for life Awards Ceremony, a gala event attended by more than 200 New York media, hosted by Jim Belushi and featuring music by The Black Crowes.

The Volvo for life Awards is the largest-ever national search for and celebration of everyday heroes, with Volvo Cars of North America providing $1 million in awards and contributions. The program, launched in June 2004, called for individuals nationwide to visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com and nominate an unsung hometown hero they know in one of three categories: safety, quality of life or environment. Volvo received 4,272 nominations representing all 50 states. Volvo then selected three finalists in each of the three categories. In February, a distinguished panel of judges -- including Hank Aaron, Paul Newman, Caroline Kennedy, Maya Lin, Bill Bradley, Dr. Sally Ride and Eunice Kennedy Shriver -- then selected the three category winners, including Busch in the environment category.

At the ceremony, Volvo will premiere a mini-documentary on Busch's work and the program's judges will present her with a $50,000 contribution to the charity of her choice. Volvo also will reveal which of the three winners is the overall grand winner, who will receive the designation of "America's Greatest Hometown Hero" and be presented with a new Volvo every three years for the rest of her life.

In 1993, the Alaska Pulp Corp., Sitka, Alaska's largest employer, shut down its pulp mill. Almost overnight, two thirds of the workforce lost their jobs, and 100 families in the 8,500-person community moved away. Political leaders blamed environmentalists for the mill failure. The town was bitterly divided, and the economic outlook was bleak. Inspired to help the community get back on its feet, Lisa Busch spearheaded the formation of Sitka Trail Works, an organization that provided retraining money for dozens of displaced timber workers to become trail crew workers. The program was designed to improve an existing trail system, provide jobs and new opportunities for unemployed residents, and increase tourism. But perhaps most importantly, it bridged a bitter rift that had formed between environmentalists and timber proponents. Today, Sitka Trail Works has more than 500 members and has built more than $2 million worth of trails. As president of Sitka Trail Works, Busch continues to work enthusiastically with local, state and federal agencies to promote trails as a healthy lifestyle choice for people of all ages.

Paula Lucas, a Portland, Oregon domestic abuse survivor helping American women escape abusive relationships while living abroad was named the top safety winner. Hope Bevilhymer, a West Jordan, Utah amputee distributing prosthetic limbs to developing countries, was named the top quality of life winner. The six remaining finalists in the initiative also will be on hand and each will receive a donation of $25,000 to the charities of their choice.

"We look forward to honoring Lisa at our awards ceremony and recognizing the work she has done to improve the environment for thousands of people. We also applaud the efforts of our other two category winners and six finalists, as well as the efforts of the more than 4,200 heroes who were nominated for our program this year," said Vic Doolan, president and chief executive officer for Volvo Cars of North America.

For more information on the Volvo for life Awards and to view this year's nominees' and finalists' stories, visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For photos and more information on the Volvo for LifeAwards: www.volvocars-pr.com.