Charter Communications Partners With Toyota of Glendora in Creating Awareness of Mental Illness

IRWINDALE and HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Sept. 29 -- Charter Communications has partnered with Toyota of Glendora to promote the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Walks this Saturday, October 1, 2005. Starting at 9 a.m. at the Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale and the Huntington Beach Pier, thousands of people will take to the streets to raise public awareness about mental illness.

Now in its third year, NAMI Walks have grown from 12 walk locations across America to over 50 this year. Warren Karmol, National NAMI Walks Team Leader states, "The goal of every volunteer, sponsor, walker and supporter is to raise money and public awareness that recovery from mental illnesses is possible." Most NAMI affiliates have selected May for the walks, with some scheduled for Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) in October.

The idea for this specific effort came from the personal involvement of one of Charter's former employees Christopher Higgins, now a fulltime volunteer for NAMI. States Higgins, "I have been actively supporting mental health research in helping to stop the stigma associated with mental illness for over 14 years. My late father, a Wharton graduate, voted most likely to succeed in high school, was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 28." When Higgins' father died in 2000, his son set a goal to raise one million dollars to fight the stigma associated with mental illness. "Thanks to Charter's commitment over the past 3 years, I have produced four television commercials about mental illness that have aired in more than one million households with an advertising value of more than $800,000."

Brian Cooper, Account Executive with Charter Media stated, "It is important to get together to educate the community about an illness that is misunderstood, considering it affects 1 in 4 families. Everyone should be involved."

Craig Ruble, Vice President of Charter Media said "Whether it's Hurricane Katrina, Toys for Tots or Mental Health Awareness, Charter wants to give back to the community. Charity-related marketing can create a win for everyone and we actively encourage our employees to seek partnerships that make sense for all."

Charter and Toyota of Glendora will be co-sponsoring the NAMI Walks and Charter has donated more than $70,000 in public service advertising to promote this event. Toyota of Glendora's GM Richard Romero adds, "Toyota enjoys being involved in these types of community events."

The public is invited to participate in the NAMI Walks by contacting the Orange County or Los Angeles NAMI Offices. NAMI Orange County TEL: (714) 544-8488 NAMI Los Angeles 213-351-2874.

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) founded in 1979, has more than 210,000 members who seek equitable services for people with severe mental illnesses, which are known to be physical brain disorders. Working on the national, state and local levels, NAMI provides education about severe brain disorders, supports increased funding for research, and advocates for adequate health insurance, housing, rehabilitation and jobs for people with serious psychiatric illnesses.

About Charter Communications

Charter Communications, Inc., a broadband communications company, provides a full range of advanced broadband services to the home, including cable television on an advanced digital video programming platform via Charter Digital(TM) and Charter High-Speed(TM) Internet service. Charter also provides business-to-business video, data and Internet protocol (IP) solutions through Charter Business(TM). Advertising sales and production services are sold under the Charter Media(R) brand. More information about Charter can be found at www.charter.com.