Vote for Utah's 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., Oct. 2 -- Who would you give a Volvo to? How about Dan Johnson, a high school principal from Logan, who started a Hispanic Parent Night at his school to get Hispanic parents involved in their children's education and instill hope for the future? Or 15-year-old Becca Robison, from Layton, who started Astrotots -- now a national free space camp program for girls ages four to ten that will go worldwide this year? Or Dr. Geoffrey Tabin from Salt Lake City whose efforts to eliminate preventable and curable blindness in the Himalayan Region stretch back over a decade and have helped tens of thousands of people?

These are just three of the five extraordinary Utah heroes named as semi-finalists in the 5th Anniversary Volvo for life Awards -- Volvo's annual search for hometown heroes across America. This year, in honor of the Awards' 5th anniversary, Volvo selected the top five heroes from every state in America and is asking the American public to visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com to vote for their favorites now through February 4, 2007.

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

  *  Dan Johnson, principal at Mount Logan Middle School, started a Hispanic
     Parent Night when he realized that language and cultural barriers were
     preventing parents of his Hispanic students from participating in their
     children's education.  Through countless dedicated hours, Johnson has
     helped parents get informed about, and involved in, their children's
     future.  The Hispanic Parent Night has had a remarkable impact -- now
     Hispanic parents can track their children's progress, fully participate
     in the direction of their education and see a real way to help them
     achieve their dreams.

  *  Becca Robison, a 15-year-old budding astronaut from Layton, has given
     thousands of young girls a fun introduction to science through her
     Astrotots space camps.  Robison started Astrotots in her backyard in
     2002 to share her passion for science with girls ages four to ten --
     and ultimately ignite other young girls' interest enough to lead them
     on a path to careers in science.  Now Astrotots is in community centers
     across the country, with plans to take the camps to Europe and India by
     the end of the year.

  *  Dr. Geoffrey Tabin from Salt Lake City has helped alleviate the
     suffering of tens of thousands of people through his Himalayan Cataract
     Project.  The project strives to eradicate preventable and curable
     blindness in the Himalaya -- a region with one of the world's highest
     rates of cataracts, the leading cause of blindness worldwide.  With
     high-quality ophthalmic care, education, and establishment of a
     sustainable eye care infrastructure, the organization has helped
     increase modern cataract surgeries from 15,000 per year to 150,000 per
     year over the last decade.

  *  Rick Wray from Salt Lake City used his expertise in education and
     multi-media to start "Spy Hop Productions," a non-profit center to
     empower disadvantaged youth through multimedia arts education.  The
     project provides training in digital, video and multimedia
     technologies, paving the way for future careers in the digital age.
     The project has grown from a two-person operation to one that now
     serves over 600 young people annually, with a staff of more than 25
     full- and part-time employees.

  *  Susan Roylance from South Jordan has devoted more than 28 years of her
     life to helping people in developing nations.  She established United
     Families International, an organization to support and strengthen
     families across the world.  She also created Community Development
     Centers in Africa to provide a sustainable, synergistic approach toward
     empowering distant rural communities.  Roylance is also behind Stay
     Alive HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Program for Children.  The program
     helps educate a new generation on strategies to combat the AIDS
     epidemic and has reached more than 750,000 children in Africa.

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. Having the public help us select the winning heroes is a truly exciting -- and democratic -- addition to this year's program."

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