Vote for Texas' Greatest Hometown Heroes

National Vote Underway for All-Time Greatest Heroes - Five Per State - in 5th Anniversary Volvo for life Awards

Vote for Top Heroes at www.volvoforlifeawards.com; $1 Million in Financial Contributions Provided; Winner Receives Volvo Car for Life

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 12 -- Five extraordinary, everyday heroes from Texas have been named semi-finalists in the 5th Annual Volvo for life Awards. Volvo is calling on the citizens of Texas and people coast-to-coast to visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com now through Feb. 4, 2007 to view the 250 semi-finalist stories -- five per state -- and vote for the individual they feel is "America's Greatest Hometown Hero." The overall grand winner will receive a $50,000 charitable contribution and a new Volvo every three years for the rest of his or her life.

Who in Texas would you give a Volvo to? Representing Texas in this year's Volvo for life Awards are:

  *  In 1979, Dr. Manuel P. Berriozabal, of San Antonio, created the
     "Prefreshman Engineering Program" (PREP) and is responsible for
     educating thousands of underprivileged and minority students in math
     and science.  Berriozabal observed that there was a significant
     under-representation of people of color in the fields of engineering
     and science and he set out to reverse the trend.  PREP provides
     promising middle school and high school students a rigorous,
     mathematics-based enrichment program offered in the summer on college
     campuses.

  *  Terry Hogg, of Dallas, drawing upon his expertise in vehicle repair,
     started a state-approved training academy to educate former prison
     inmates in auto repair skills -- especially those needed for working on
     the well-built and sophisticated Volvos.  He has opened his academy to
     all individuals, but its special emphasis is in providing sought-after
     abilities and even basic job skills to former inmates, helping them to
     achieve a productive life after they have paid their debt to society.

  *  Andrew Montgomery, of Houston, has served as a Red Cross volunteer for
     over ten years.  Montgomery saved the lives of eleven strangers, often
     at extreme risk to his own life.  In 2002 alone, he rescued a baby from
     a burning car and performed an additional four lifesaving rescues.  All
     of Montgomery's rescues occurred before he was eighteen years old.  In
     addition to his lifesaving rescues, Andrew is the founder of the Alpha
     Omega Red Cross Club, which works to coordinate relief supplies for
     natural disaster victims worldwide.

  *  Donald O'Neal, of Farmersville, has spent his more than 20 years of
     retirement using his skills to improve the lives of the disadvantaged
     Guatemalan poor.  While working as a volunteer leading medical/surgical
     teams into the highlands of Guatemala, O'Neal recognized that
     inefficient and dangerous cooking methods caused many of the rural
     Guatemalans' respiratory problems, severe burns, and hernias.  O'Neal
     deduced that a properly designed stove would solve this problem.  He
     spent a year in design and another year in field-testing an optimally
     constructed stove.  Today, more than 11,000 of the stoves have been
     distributed among the rural Guatemalans.

  *  In 2000, Gloria Perez-Walker, of Austin, started "Latina Mami," a
     community-based, non-profit organization for Chicana and Latina mothers
     and their families.  Latina Mami gives mothers, especially those
     limited financially and by lack of childcare, a resource and ways to
     connect with one another as parents.  Today, the organization provides
     extensive cultural activities for children of Latinas, gives away free
     clothes and baby goods through an on-site maternity closet, delivers a
     monthly newsletter, offers support groups and classes and holds a
     weekly radio show for Latina mothers.

Now through Feb. 4, individuals will be able to view these and other hero stories and vote for their top heroes at www.volvoforlifeawards.com. Each week during the voting period, heroes from two states will be featured heroes on the front of the Web site, though individuals can view and vote on their state or any other state's hero stories within the site at any time.

Once the public vote concludes, the top three vote getters in the categories of safety, quality of life and environment will be named finalists. Then, a panel of distinguished judges -- including Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Caroline Kennedy, Maya Lin, Paul Newman, Dr. Sally Ride, Val Kilmer, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and previous Volvo for life Awards top winners -- will select winners in each category. Winners receive a $50,000 charitable contribution from Volvo; remaining finalists receive a $25,000 contribution.

On April 4, 2007, Volvo will fly the winning heroes to New York, where Volvo and members of the celebrity-judging panel will honor them at the 5th Annual Volvo for life Awards Ceremony. At the climax of the ceremony, Volvo will reveal which of the three top heroes is also the Grand Award winner of a Volvo vehicle every three years for the rest of his or her life.

"Over the past five years the Volvo for life Awards initiative has received more than 15,000 hero nominations," said Anne Belec, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Cars of North America. "All of these heroes demonstrate incredible conscience, care and character. We felt the proper way to mark the fifth year of the Volvo for life Awards would be to highlight the top five heroes from every state in America. Having the public help us select the winning heroes is a truly exciting -- and democratic -- addition to this year's program. We look forward to discovering just who 'America's greatest hometown hero' will be."

To learn more, or to vote for your favorite hero, visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com. A Spanish version of the site can also be accessed at this address.

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