America Selects Valrico Resident Zach Bonner as One of the Nation's Top Hometown Youth Heroes

Ten-Year-Old Bonner, Who Has Helped Collect Backpacks, School Supplies and Food For Thousands of Homeless Children Reaches Finals of 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards

Judges Will Select and Honor the Winner at March 19 Volvo for life Awards Ceremony in New York

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 18 -- For the past nine weeks hundreds of thousands of members of the American public have been casting their votes online to decide the country's favorite hometown youth heroes in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards (http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/). The polls are officially closed and Valrico's Zach Bonner, 10, is among three finalists for the prestigious Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award.

The Butterfly Award is given to an exceptional child hero and is in honor of Alex Scott, a Volvo for life Awards winner from Wynnewood, Pa. who, before passing away at age 8 from cancer, raised more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research through lemonade sales and other fundraising activities. Alex's parents, Liz and Jay Scott, select the winner.

Bonner has led multiple efforts to raise cash and supply donations for Katrina's homeless after the storm devastated the Gulf coast. He is guaranteed to receive $10,000 in charitable contributions from Volvo and if he's named the winner, his award will be $25,000.

If Bonner is selected as the winner, Volvo will fly him to New York to be honored at the world famous 42nd St. Cipriani's during the Volvo for life Awards ceremony on March 19, 2008. The program's grand award winner will also be announced that evening.

"To be one of the top three finalist for the Volvo for Life Butterfly Awards means so much to me. It is an awesome honor," said Bonner. "The $10,000 donation that the Little Red Wagon Foundation will receive will allow me to help so many kids. I have so many projects I want to do and this money will allow them to become a reality."

More About Zach Bonner

Bonner collected an incredible 27 truckloads of sundry items for Katrina's homeless shortly after the storm devastated the Gulf coast. A year later, he collected $600 in donations for Red Cross post-Katrina efforts and then secured an additional $7,000 worth of new toys and sporting equipment for homeless children living in Red Cross shelters. This year, Bonner will hold his second holiday party for some 700 Katrina children still living in FEMA trailer parks, for which he has already collected more than 500 hams and gift bags. Bonner also recently founded the Little Red Wagon Foundation, Inc., an organization that collects and donates backpacks filled with food, school items and other supplies to disadvantaged children nationwide. When Congress made November National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Bonner created an event to raise awareness about homeless children: a marathon walk from Tampa to Tallahassee, Fla. covering 250 miles over 23 days. Bonner and his team hope the walk will help raise money and awareness for the nation's estimated 1.3 million homeless children.

About the Butterfly Award

Children who are no older than 16 as of October 15, 2007 are eligible to receive this award, which includes a $25,000 donation to a charity selected by the winning child hero and his or her family. The remaining Butterfly finalists each receive a $10,000 contribution.

About the Volvo for life Awards

Since 2002, Volvo Cars of North America has identified more than 18,000 everyday heroes in its annual Volvo for life Awards (http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/) and has contributed millions of dollars to their causes. Three individuals are recognized annually in the award program's Safety, Quality of Life, Environment categories. Each winner in these categories receives a $100,000 contribution to the charity of his or her choice. The program's grand winner receives an added bonus of a Volvo car for life. The remaining six Safety, Quality of Life and Environment finalists receive donations of $25,000 to the charities of their choice.

  The other finalists in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards are:

  Butterfly Award:
  --  Rocco Fiorentino, 11 of Voorhees, N.J., has been blind since birth and
      works with the Little Rock Foundation, a nonprofit organization
      established by his family to provide resources for children, parents,
      therapists, and educators who are facing issues related to blindness.
  --  Dallas Jessup, 16 of Vancouver, Wash., wrote and produced "Just Yell
      Fire," a film for women of all ages illustrating simple self-defense
      strategies to defend against an attack, kidnapping or sexual assault.

  Safety:
  --  Marilyn Adams, 57 of Earlham, Iowa, founded Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
      and set out on a mission to promote safe farm environments across the
      country and eliminate farm-related child health hazards, injuries and
      fatalities.
  --  Ronald Dundon, 58 of Kalamazoo, Mich., founded the AED (Automatic
      External Defibrillator) Fund of Kalamazoo County to help increase the
      chances of survival for future sudden cardiac arrest victims in
      underserved communities.
  --  Through his program "Driver's Edge," Las Vegas-native Jeff Payne, 40,
      teaches thousands of youth how to avoid vehicle accidents and drive
      safely.

  Quality of Life:
  --  John Dau, 35 of Syracuse, N.Y., has raised $700,000 to improve
      healthcare and literacy in southern Sudan.
  --  Matthew Sanford, 42 of Orono, Minn., founded Mind Body Solutions, a
      nonprofit organization dedicated to revolutionizing the rehabilitation
      process.
  --  Darius Weems, 18 of Athens, Ga., works to raise money and awareness
      for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) research through "Darius Goes
      West," a documentary that chronicles his courageous journey across
      America.

  Environment:
  --  Lorraine Kerwood, 47 of Eugene, Ore., created an electronics recycling
      and distribution center, NextStep, which brings refurbished computers
      to disadvantaged communities.
  --  Zander Srodes, 17 of Cape Haze, Fla., has educated more than 5,000
      students about sea turtle conservation through a series of educational
      presentations called "Turtle Talks" which he developed along with a
      children's activity book on the subject.
  --  Charles Turner, 48 of Sedley, Va., founded the Blackwater-Nottoway
      Riverkeeper Program, which mobilizes individuals to patrol rivers
      looking for signs of pollution and educate others about the importance
      of clean, wild waterways.