Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America(TM) (CSFA) announced today that it received a $1 million donation from the Unilever United States Foundation for the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund(TM). The Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund(TM) was initiated by CSFA and the Lumina Foundation for Education to provide education assistance for postsecondary study to financially needy dependents of those killed or permanently disabled as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and during the rescue activities relating to those attacks. Former President Bill Clinton and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole are serving as co-chairs of the campaign fund effort.

In the days following September 11, Unilever established the Unilever September 11th Children's Fund, partially in response to the outpouring of concern from colleagues from around the world.

"From the hours following the disasters, Unilever colleagues from across the country and around the globe began sending emails and phone calls, expressing their shock and sympathy with the day's tragedies, asking how they could help," said Charles Strauss, president and CEO of Unilever United States. "The Unilever United States Foundation quickly organized the September 11th Children's Fund, which matched employee contributions two-to-one, and communicated our plans throughout the Unilever world. And the response has been nothing short of spectacular."

The Unilever September 11th Children's Fund received donations from employees in each of its companies in the United States, and from England, Singapore, Canada, Chile, Germany, Italy, and other parts of Europe. The Fund has donated a total of $2.5 million, representing employee donations, Foundation matching funds, and Foundation funds earmarked to assist victims of the attacks. In addition, immediately following the disasters, Unilever's U.S. companies donated several thousand cases of food and personal care products to injured victims and relief workers.

"Our goal from the start was to align with charitable programs which would provide the greatest short and long term benefits to those most tragically effected by lost parents, the children of the victims," said Strauss. "The Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund(TM) quickly met our objectives."

Specifically, the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund(TM) will benefit dependents of the victims, including airplane crew and passengers, World Trade Center and Pentagon workers and visitors, and relief workers, including firefighters, emergency medical personnel and law enforcement personnel. CSFA, the nation's largest nonprofit scholarship organization located in Minneapolis and St. Peter, MN, is coordinating the overall initiative, will receive all monies raised, and administer the scholarship program. Lumina Foundation for Education, a private foundation dedicated to expanding access to postsecondary education based in Indianapolis, IN, kicked off the Fund with a $3 million grant--$1 million directly to the scholarship fund and $2 million as a dollar-for-dollar matching grant to encourage contributions from individuals. The $2 million matching grant was met on December 18, 2001.

"We are extremely grateful to receive this generous $1 million donation from the Unilever September 11 Children's Fund," said Dr. William C. Nelsen, president of CSFA. "Unilever employees from throughout the world are helping those individuals, especially children, directly impacted by the terrible events of September 11th. We pledge that 100 percent of all contributions will go directly to aid students."

CSFA carries out its mission of expanding access to educational opportunities and encouraging academic achievement through its Dollars for Scholars, Scholarship Management Services, and ScholarShop programs. Since its founding in 1958, CSFA has distributed over $776.2 million to more than 748,000 students through its scholarship and other financial aid support programs. For the fifth year in a row, SmartMoney, the Wall Street Journal's magazine of personal finance, has cited CSFA as one of the 17 most efficient nonprofits in the nation. Worth magazine has named CSFA as one of America's 100 Best Charities in its first charity review since 1994. For more information go to: www.csfa.org and www.familiesoffreedom.org.

Unilever (UNILEVER N.V.(UN) and UNILEVER PLC (UL)) is one of the world's largest consumer product companies with annual sales of approximately $46 billion in 2000. It produces and markets a wide range of foods, and home and personal care products. Unilever operates in 88 countries around the globe and employs approximately 240,000 people. In the United States, Unilever sales were approximately $11 billion in 2000, with 28,000 people and 80 offices and manufacturing sites in 26 states.

The US business comprises:

Foods: Lipton teas, recipe products and side dishes; Wish-Bone salad dressings; Lawry's seasonings; Country Crock and "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" spreads; Ragu pasta sauces; Knorr soups, sauces and bouillons; Hellmann's mayonnaise; Skippy peanut butter; Bertolli olive oil; Good-Humor, Breyers and Ben & Jerry's ice cream; and Slim-Fast nutritional and health snack products.

Home and Personal Care: Wisk, "all" and Surf laundry detergents; Snuggle fabric softener; Sunlight dish detergent; Lever 2000, Caress, Dove, Degree, Pond's and Vaseline skin care, deodorant and soap products; Q-tips cotton swabs; Mentadent oral care products; Finesse, Salon Selectives, Suave and ThermaSilk hair care products; and Calvin Klein, Nautica and Lagerfeld cosmetic and fragrance products.

Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund and Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America and any and all associated logos are trademarks of Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America.

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