Bounty's 'Make a Clean Difference' Program Makes Its Final Stop in Cincinnati Wrapping Up a Nationwide Effort to Impact More Than 14,000 Children in 30 Schools

CINCINNATI, June 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Procter & Gamble Company's (NYSE: PG) Bounty® brand today kicked off the final leg of its 10-market "Make a Clean Difference" program at Cincinnati's Brent Elementary School in the Finneytown District.  Brand leaders and employees were excited to participate in the school clean-up effort as it wraps up in P&G's hometown.  Since the program's launch in April, Bounty, together with partners HandsOn Network and Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, has united more than 1,000 volunteers to transform the learning environments of 30 public schools in 10 cities across the country benefiting more than 14,000 school children.      

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Bounty employees, led by P&G's Mary Lynn Ferguson-McHugh (President of P&G's Family Care division), Eric Breissinger (General Manager of North America for P&G's Family Care division) and Dave Lee (Bounty Brand Manager), rolled up their sleeves to help spruce up classrooms and common areas, wipe down hallways with Bounty paper towels, and plant flowers in outdoor areas.  Rush Philanthropic's teaching artists from Artworks Cincinnati led volunteers in the creation of two large murals that will remain on display at the school to inspire creativity in, and out, of the classroom.  Bounty also presented a $10,000 donation to ArtWorks Cincinnati, a non-profit whose mission is to connect artists of all ages through apprenticeships, community partnerships and public art.   Other Cincinnati area schools benefiting from the Make a Clean Difference program include: Rothenburg Elementary School (June 2), Newport Intermediate School (June 17) and Williams Elementary School (June 29).

"Together with HandsOn and Rush Philanthropic, we are thrilled to have brought together more than 1,000 volunteers since April to improve the learning environments of our nation's young students," said Dave Lee, Bounty Brand Manager. "This stop is particularly special for our employee volunteers because we can see first-hand how our hands on work can help in our community, as it does at home."  

Maintaining clean learning environments and providing volunteer services are the root of Bounty's "Make a Clean Difference" program.  Research shows a link between the cleanliness of school facilities and students' academic achievements, yet, 25 percent of all schools report at least one on-site building in less than adequate condition.(1,2)  Additionally, less than 33 percent of schools provide students with opportunities to bring learning to life through community service.(3)

In addition to Cincinnati, Bounty's "Make a Clean Difference" program benefited 30 public schools in the following cities from April through June: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Dallas, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Minneapolis, MN; New York, NY; and Seattle, WA.  Celebrities who have taken part in community clean-ups include Gabrielle Union, Mary J. Blige, Russell Simmons, Carlos Ponce, Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/bounty.

About Bounty

Bounty has been America's most popular paper towel for more than 30 years.  In the U.S., P&G offers the following premium two-ply paper towel products: Bounty Select-a-Size; Bounty White; Bounty Extra Soft; and Bounty Fun Prints.  Additionally, P&G offers Bounty Basic, a quality one-ply paper towel as well Bounty Quilted Napkins. For more information on Bounty, visit www.facebook.com/bounty.

About HandsOn Network

HandsOn Network, the volunteer-focused arm of Points of Light Institute, is the largest volunteer network in the nation and includes more than 250 HandsOn Action Centers in 16 countries.  HandsOn includes a powerful network of more than 70,000 corporate, faith and nonprofit organizations that are answering the call to serve and creating meaningful change in their communities.  Annually, the network delivers approximately 30 million hours of volunteer service valued at about $600 million. For more information, please visit www.HandsOnNetwork.org.

About Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation

Founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, a 501 (C) 3 organization, is dedicated to providing disadvantaged urban youth with significant arts exposure, access and education as well as providing exhibition opportunities to early and mid-career artists and artists of color.  In its first 15 years, Rush Philanthropic has served over 700,000 urban youth, directed millions in funding from donors including individuals, foundations and leading corporations to underserved youth, and established two exhibit and education facilities, Rush Arts Gallery and Resource Center and Corridor Gallery.  Rush Philanthropic believes that if you give young people the opportunity to practice and appreciate art—whether poetry, music, dance or the visual arts—you will see lives transformed. Nurtured in early childhood, and anchored in sustained, creative experiences throughout one's life, it is through art that we see young people learn to value their own unique voices and visions; and it is through art that we see artists transform the minds and eyes of society. For more information, visit www.rushphilanthropic.org.

About Procter & Gamble

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 135,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

1. Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers; Cleanliness and Learning in Higher Education, June 2008. http://www.appa.org/files/FMArticles/FM0708featureJCampbellABigger.pdf

2. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics, Statistical Analysis Report, June 2000. page iv. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000032.pdf

3. Engaged for Success: Service-Learning as a Tool for High School Dropout Prevention; A Report by Civic Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the National Conference on Citizenship, 2008.  Page 3. http://www.civicenterprises.net/pdfs/service-learning.pdf

SOURCE Procter & Gamble/Bounty