Alliance Data Becomes $1 Million Donor To Children's

DALLAS, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Plano-based Alliance Data (NYSE: ADS) has extended its commitment to support Children's Medical Center through a four-year, $600,000 contribution. The donation, which will bring the company's cumulative donations to more than $1 million, will support the continued growth of the Children's at Legacy campus as hospital needs dictate, and through community events like the Children's Medical Center Holiday Parade and the Red Balloon Run & Relay. Additionally, Ed Heffernan, Alliance Data president and chief executive officer, has made a personal contribution of $100,000.

"We truly appreciate Alliance Data's long-time partnership with Children's Medical Center, including its financial commitment as a Founding Supporter of our Legacy campus in Plano," said Pete Kline, president of Children's Medical Center Foundation. "The management and associates at Alliance Data understand the critical need for outstanding pediatric resources in the community, and they have committed both money and time to insure that the children in North Texas have the best of care close to their homes.  Through their partnership with Children's, Alliance Data has become a role model for North Texas companies who want to foster the best opportunities for the next generation."

"Through financial support and associate volunteerism, Alliance Data is proud to have cultivated a strong, multi-faceted corporate partnership with Children's that has helped the hospital provide much-needed programs and medical care to the community, both at their Dallas and Plano locations," said Ed Heffernan, president and chief executive officer of Alliance Data. "Our latest financial commitment is reflective of our associates' passion for making lives better for children, and aligns our corporate giving strategy with the charitable causes that our associates stand behind. With the service Children's provides to the community, supporting the hospital at this level is not only an obvious choice but simply the right thing to do. On a personal level, my hope is that other like-minded companies and their executives will step up and be a contributor to the highly reputable and worthy organization that Children's is."

One program in particular that Alliance Data has and will continue to fund is Children's Injury Prevention Program, which is a groundbreaking initiative that has had a measurable impact by preventing injury in the community through education in at-risk neighborhoods, enforcement of certain safety legislation and regulations, and community involvement.

"Alliance Data's gift makes it possible for us to educate the community and provide lifesaving skills and equipment needed to prevent children from drowning, ensure car seats are installed properly, teach families how to safely cross the street, and generally keep children out of the emergency room," said Claudia Romo, injury prevention manager at Children's. "Ninety percent of emergency situations are preventable through education. We have reduced the number of children who die as a result of being in a car crash by 49 percent in Dallas County since we began our work in 2002, and last year we successfully educated an at-risk population of children on water safety who otherwise would not have received such critical water safety skills to prevent drowning."

Since its creation, the Injury Prevention Program has provided more than 5,000 car seats, 2,000 water vests, 300 helmets, and thousands of hours of education free of charge to families in need within Dallas and Collin Counties.

In a show of personal commitment to supporting Children's mission, Alliance Data employees recently donated nearly 200 swimsuits to the Injury Prevention Program in support of National Water Safety Month. These swimsuits will be donated to underserved Dallas neighborhoods where Children's will provide free swim lessons through several Know Before You Go water safety events, designed to educate children and parents on preventing water-related injuries and drownings.

About Alliance Data

Alliance Data® and its combined businesses is North America's largest and most comprehensive provider of transaction-based, data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions serving large, consumer-based industries. The Company creates and deploys customized solutions, enhancing the critical customer marketing experience; the result is measurably changing consumer behavior while driving business growth and profitability for some of today's most recognizable brands. Alliance Data helps its clients create and increase customer loyalty through solutions that engage millions of customers each day across multiple touch points using traditional, digital, mobile and other emerging technologies. Headquartered in Dallas, Alliance Data employs approximately 7,400 associates at 50 locations worldwide.

Alliance Data is a leading provider of marketing-driven credit solutions, and is the parent company of Epsilon®, a leading provider of multi-channel, data-driven technologies and marketing services, and LoyaltyOne®, which owns and operates the AIR MILES® Reward Program, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program. For more information about the company, visit our web site, AllianceData.com or follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/AllianceData.  

About Children's Medical Center

Children's Medical Center at Legacy:

Children's at Legacy serves children through more than 90,000 patient visits each year, with a focus on family-centered care. In addition, the Legacy Ambulatory Pavilion offers the largest suburban group of pediatric specialists in the nation.

Children's Medical Center is private, not-for-profit, and is the seventh largest pediatric healthcare provider in the country with 559 licensed beds, two full-service campuses and 10 outpatient sites. Children's was the state's first pediatric hospital to achieve Level 1 Trauma status and is the only pediatric teaching facility in North Texas, affiliated with UT Southwestern Medical Center. For more information about Children's or how to give, please visit www.childrens.com.

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This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements may use words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "predict," "project" and similar expressions as they relate to us or our management. When we make forward-looking statements, we are basing them on our management's beliefs and assumptions, using information currently available to us. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the anticipated effects of the CARD Act, potential effects of the Epsilon data incident, and those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary materially from what we projected. Any forward-looking statements contained in this presentation reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We have no intention, and disclaim any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future results or otherwise.

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SOURCE Children's Medical Center