America Selects Las Vegas Resident Jeff Payne as One of the Nation's Top Hometown Heroes

Driver's Edge Founder, Payne, who has Taught More Than 40,000 Youth to Drive Safely Reaches Finals of 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards

Celebrity Judges Will Select and Unveil Top Four Winners March 19 at Volvo for life Awards Ceremony in New York; One Hero Will Receive a Volvo Car for Life

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 23 -- 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 heroes in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards (http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/). The polls are officially closed and Las Vegas' Jeff Payne is among nine finalists for this prestigious award.

The final decision now rests in the hands of a distinguished panel of celebrity judges who are experts on care, conscience and character -- Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Maya Lin, Dr. Sally Ride, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Mae Jemison and Edsel Ford. The judges will now review Payne and eight other finalists' nominations to select the program's top three winners in the categories of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment and the Volvo for life Awards grand award winner.

Payne, who founded nonprofit Driver's Edge, has taught thousands of youth how to avoid vehicle accidents and drive safely, is one of three finalists being honored in the Volvo for life Awards safety category. Payne is guaranteed to receive $25,000 in charitable contributions from Volvo and if he's named the winner in his category, his award will be $100,000. If named grand award winner, he will receive the added bonus of a Volvo car for life.

If Payne is selected as a category winner, Volvo will fly him and his fellow winners 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.

"It's an honor for me and for everyone involved with Driver's Edge to have been named a Volvo for life Award finalist," Payne said. "On behalf of the entire Driver's Edge team including our dedicated professional instructors, our partners and sponsors I'd like to say thank you to everyone that took the time to vote for Edge. Because of your support we are able to continue our mission and take a stand against the number one killer of America's youth."

More About Jeff Payne

A performance-driving instructor for more than 20 years, Payne, 40, founded Driver's Edge, a nonprofit that offers free driver's education programs for young people. The program gives students comprehensive instruction in defensive driving, including collision avoidance, skid control, evasive lane change maneuvers and controlled panic braking techniques. Through a mix of behind-the-wheel defensive driving exercises and interactive classroom sessions, his program aims to erase the "fast-and-furious" style marring many young adults' driving skills. Graduates of Driver's Edge have 53 percent fewer collisions than non-participants.

To expand the program's reach still further, Payne organizes ongoing safe teen driving events in Las Vegas and has initiated the Driver's Edge National Tour, which takes the program to 20 cities each year. Since the program's inception, nearly 40,000 young drivers and their parents around the country have attended.

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

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

  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.

  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.

  Butterfly Award:
  -- Zach Bonner, 10 of Valrico, Fla., founded the Little Red Wagon
     Foundation, Inc., an organization that collects and donates backpacks
     filled with food and school items to disadvantaged children nationwide.
  -- 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.