Today, Kohl's Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) announced 10 stand-out young volunteers as 2011 national winners of the Kohl's Cares® Scholarship Program. These admirable youth, ranging in age from 10 to 17, are the recipients of a total of $10,000 in scholarships each for post-secondary education. In addition to the scholarships, Kohl's will donate $1,000 to a nonprofit organization of each winner's choice. Kohl's is supporting the futures of these students at a time when college tuition has surpassed the rate of inflation and for the first time, student loan debt has exceeded credit card debt.*

"These young leaders have proven the amazing impact that volunteerism can have on a community. Whether it's organizing a charity golf tournament or honoring fallen soldiers over the holiday season, these efforts have collectively improved countless lives across the country," said Julie Gardner, Kohl's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "The compassion, enthusiasm and leadership demonstrated by these 10 young volunteers is inspiring and admirable. Kohl's is honored to recognize these efforts and share these amazing stories of what can be accomplished, regardless of age."

This year's winners were selected from more than 37,000 youth nominees nationwide for volunteer efforts reaching far above and beyond what is normally expected of children. The remarkable efforts include fundraising for orphans in Iraq, creating artwork to raise donations and awareness for Autism and bike riding across the country to raise money for children with disabilities.

National scholarship recipients include:

• Olivia Bouler, 11, Islip, N.Y. - As an aspiring ornithologist and artist concerned about the affect on wildlife following the Gulf oil spill, Olivia created beautiful drawings of birds as gifts for those who donated to the Audubon Society, helping to raise nearly $200,000 to protect area wildlife.
  
• Ethan Daniels, 11, San Jose, Calif. - Ethan founded the Sharing My Birthday project, asking for donations instead of birthday presents and raising more than $57,000 since 2007 to provide 850 orphans in seven Iraqi villages with food, clothing, heaters and blankets.
  
• Alex deMasi, 10, Humble, Texas - Alex was instrumental in the placement of 28,000 wreaths at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Cemetery in Houston, Texas to honor fallen soldiers during the holiday season of 2010.
  
• Neha Gupta, 14, Yardley, Pa. - Neha founded the nonprofit organization Empower Orphans to help orphaned and underprivileged children in the U.S. and India and has opened three libraries with 10,000 books, a computer lab, a science lab and a sewing center for girls.
  
• Brandon Hill, 17, Eden Prairie, Minn. - Brandon co-founded The Brotherhood, a group that has grown to more than 135 members and whose mission is to close the achievement gap between Caucasian and minority students and promote a spirit of scholastic and extracurricular achievement.
  
• Sarah Kladar, 12, Hayden, Idaho - Sarah founded the charity Kids Helping Kids Fix Broken Hearts and sold 5,000 dishtowels to raise $50,000 to benefit financially burdened families of children who need to travel to receive heart surgery.
  
• Amanda LaMunyon, 15, Enid, Okla. - Amanda launched a website (www.AmandaLaMunyon.com) to sell prints of her artwork and has helped raise more than one million dollars for children's health and awareness of Autism.
  
• Joseph Machado, 14, Upland, Calif. - Joseph rode his bike 3,000 miles across the country and raised more than $50,000 for children with disabilities while encouraging kids to serve their communities and demonstrating that they are never too young to make a difference.
  
• Leah Prager, 12, Dallas, Texas - Leah plans, organizes and oversees a backyard carnival at her home each year and has donated more than $75,000 in proceeds to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
  
• Michael Young, 17, Scottsdale, Ariz. - Michael founded an annual charity golf tournament called The Swing Fore Kids Golf Classic that has raised approximately $260,000 for Phoenix Children's Hospital's Animal Assisted Therapy Program.

Since the Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program began in 2001, Kohl's has awarded more than 13,000 youth volunteers ages six to 18, with more than $2.6 million in scholarships and prizes. This year, Kohl's recognized nearly 2,200 nominees with nearly $420,000 in scholarships and prizes. For more information or a complete list of Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program national, regional and store-level winners, visit www.kohlskids.com.

The program is part of Kohl's Cares®, Kohl's philanthropic program focused on improving the lives of children. Kohl's Cares benefits children's health and education initiatives nationwide through its merchandise program, featuring special books and plush toys where 100 percent of net profit benefits children’s initiatives, fundraising gift cards and the Associates in Action volunteer program which encourages associate volunteerism and provided more than $13 million in grants to youth-focused non-profit organizations last year alone. For more information, visit www.kohls.com/cares.

About Kohl's Department Stores
Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl's operates 1,097 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl's has raised more than $180 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl's Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.kohls.com.

*Forbes.com. "How to Cope with the Student Loan Burden." Money Builder. 2011.

Kohl's Department Stores

Kohl's Department Stores

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (facebook.com/Kohls) or Twitter (twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (pinterest.com/Kohls) and Instagram (instagram.com/Kohls).

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