CHICAGO, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Foundation today announced further details on a broad-based charitable initiative that will fund grass-roots programs around the world helping disadvantaged youth lead productive lives. The Foundation's $2.5 million initiative, originally announced in early 2008, supports global programs developed in partnership with the International Youth Foundation (IYF). Along with the programmatic details of the initiative released today, over $1 million in supplemental support will be provided to key international programs designed to help at-risk youth.

International Youth Foundation

Working with IYF, the Foundation launched Wrigley's Youth. Empowerment. Success. (Y.E.S.) program. The initiative will prepare disadvantaged youth from around the world for success in school and at work by cultivating critical life skills including communication, adaptability, and problem-solving. "Working with our own in-country partners and the International Youth Foundation, we have identified outstanding programs that will have a positive and sustainable impact on more than 15,000 young people in need," said Dushan Petrovich, President of the Wrigley Company and the Foundation. "One of our goals is to help support youth in those communities and countries where we do business and to provide the opportunity for our own associates to get involved on a volunteer basis. Our people are incredibly enthusiastic about playing an active part in these powerful programs that will be touching the lives of young people."

Wrigley Y.E.S. programs include:

Wrigley Y.E.S. in India
Partnering with Youthreach to provide an educational and development program that prepares disadvantaged youth for success in employment. Wrigley's involvement will provide young people with English courses, leadership and life skills programs and employment placement services.

Wrigley Y.E.S. in the Philippines
Partnering with the Consuelo Foundation to provide targeted and technical vocational training to unemployed, out-of-school youth who need employment training, mentoring and employment placement services.

Wrigley Y.E.S. in Poland
Partnering with the Polish Children and Youth Foundation to scale up the existing after-school life skills training program and broaden its reach to a greater number of students considered at-risk and disadvantaged.

Wrigley Y.E.S. in Russia
Partnering with the New Perspective Foundation to provide at-risk children and youth living in Moscow and St. Petersburg, with training in life skills, community awareness, vocational skills, and health awareness.

Wrigley Y.E.S. in Spain
Partnering with Fundacion Esplai with a goal of equipping disadvantaged young people with marketable technical skills in IT, at-risk youth will be trained to be peer and adult IT literacy trainers to build their leadership and employability skills.

In addition to partnering with IYF, the Foundation has established strategic partnerships with Give2Asia, Charities Aid Foundation America and King Baudouin Foundation U.S., to broaden its international giving and reflect the global nature of its business. These partnerships will support the following programs:

China Youth Development
Foundation's Project Hope Program Building on the past support of Wrigley's China business, an additional 10 Wrigley Hope Schools will be built in China over three years, with four school locations identified for the first year.

Youth Goes Future in Germany
Wrigley will continue its relationship with this program that funds educational and developmental opportunities for young leaders to partner with business industry leaders to gain skills in the areas of innovation, business and teambuilding.

Housing Association for Orphans (HAO) and Trzemeszo Orphanage in Poland
At HAO, Wrigley will provide computer equipment, specialized software and training to blind children to greatly improve their access to education and opportunities for success; at Trzemeszo Orphanage, Wrigley will fund the construction of an outdoor recreation center providing dedicated sports arenas and opportunities for fun and exercise.

Deti Nashi Children's Home and Orphanage in Russia
Wrigley will fund a renovation of the orphanage, improving operations through the construction of an in-house laundry facility which will eliminate the need to pay for outside laundry services and may potentially provide a profit center for the home.

Young Scot Program in Scotland
Partnering with a recognized national youth information and citizenship agency for 11-26 yr olds, Wrigley will educate young people on environmental stewardship and responsible disposal of litter.

About the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Foundation

The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Foundation was established in 1987 to formalize the Wrigley Company's long history of charitable giving. Since its inception, the Foundation has contributed more than $40 million to philanthropic causes worldwide, principally to non-profit organizations that support the development of today's youth into tomorrow's leaders with an emphasis on educational initiatives and those that encourage wellness, diversity and environmental sustainability.

About International Youth Foundation

The International Youth Foundation (IYF) is a global non-profit organization that collaborates with businesses, governments and civil society organizations to build effective and sustainable programs that positively impact the lives of young people. Founded in 1990, IYF's worldwide network of partner organizations has grown to 70 countries, helping young people to shape their futures through proven programs that tie education to work, improve employability, and enable and inspire them to play a positive role in their communities. Fore more information, please visit: http://www.iyfnet.org

About Wrigley

The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company is a recognized leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies, lollipops, and chocolate. The Company has operations in more than 40 countries and distributes its world-famous brands in more than 180 countries. Three of these brands -- Wrigley's Spearmint(R), Juicy Fruit(R), and Altoids(R) -- have heritages stretching back more than a century. Other well-loved brands include Doublemint(R), Life Savers(R), Skittles(R), Big Red(R), Boomer(R), Pim Pom(R), Winterfresh(R), Extra(R), Starburst(R), Freedent(R), Hubba Bubba(R), Orbit(R), Excel(R), Creme Savers(R), Eclipse(R), Airwaves(R), Solano(R), Sugus(R), Lockets(R), P.K.(R), Cool Air(R) and 5(TM). Wrigley is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and operates as a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated, based in McLean, Virginia. Mars is a $27-billion, family-owned company that produces some of the world's leading confectionery, food and petcare products and has growing beverage and health & nutrition businesses.

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company is a recognized leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies, lollipops, and chocolate. The Company has global sales of nearly $4.7 billion and distributes its world-famous brands in more than 180 countries. Three of these brands - Wrigley's Spearmint®, Juicy Fruit®, and Altoids® - have heritages stretching back more than a century. Other well-loved brands include Doublemint®, Life Savers®, Big Red®, Boomer®, Pim Pom®, Winterfresh®, Extra®, Freedent®, Hubba Bubba®, Orbit®, Excel®, Creme Savers®, Eclipse®, Airwaves®, Solano®, Sugus®, P.K.®, Cool Air® and 5™.

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