America Selects Florida Teen As One of the Nation’s Top Hometown Heroes

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ — For the past nine weeks hundreds of thousands of members of the American public have been casting their votes online to decide the country’s favorite hometown heroes in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards (http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/). The polls are officially closed and Palm Island, Fla.’s Zander Srodes is among nine finalists for this prestigious award.

The final decision now rests in the hands of a distinguished panel of celebrity judges who are experts on care, conscience and character — Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Maya Lin, Dr. Sally Ride, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Mae Jemison and Edsel Ford. The judges will now review Srodes and eight other finalists’ nominations to select the program’s top three winners in the categories of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment and the Volvo for life Awards grand award winner.

Srodes, an author, environmental educator, conservationist, and protector of Sea Turtles, is one of three finalists being honored in the Volvo for life Awards environment category. Srodes is guaranteed to receive $25,000 in charitable contributions from Volvo and if he’s named the winner in his category, his award will be $100,000. If named grand award winner, he will receive the added bonus of a Volvo car for life.

If Srodes is selected as a category winner, Volvo will fly him and his fellow winners to New York to be honored at the world famous 42nd St. Cipriani’s during the Volvo for life Awards ceremony on March 19, 2008. The program’s grand award winner will also be announced that evening.

“A few years ago I had a dream that I would create my own educational program and take it to kids and adults and tell them how they could help the fate of the endangered sea turtles that nest on Florida beaches,” Srodes said. “It will be a great honor to put the Volvo award money towards furthering the work that the Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota is doing to preserve the fate of these ancient pelagic reptiles.”

More About Zander Srodes

Zander Srodes, 17 of Cape Haze, Fla., might be young, but he’s no newcomer to conservation. Over the past six years, Srodes has educated more than 5,000 students about sea turtle conservation and published a children’s activity book on the subject.

Zander Srodes started giving lectures at age 11 and teaching his fellow elementary schoolers about sea turtles. Under the tutelage of local artist and teacher Linda Soderquist, and with the backing of a local community foundation, Srodes developed a series of educational presentations called “Turtle Talks,” which he gave at parks, libraries and elementary schools both in his home state of Florida as well as in several Caribbean nations.

“Turtle Talks” also became a 20-page children’s activity book, written by Srodes and provided free of charge to schools and environmental organizations. The initial print run included 20,000 copies, and the book has since been translated into Spanish and French. Next year, Srodes hopes to enroll at Portland State University, where he plans to start preparing for his future as a protector of the environment.

About the Volvo for Life Awards

Since 2002, Volvo Cars of North America has identified more than 18,000 everyday heroes in its annual Volvo for life Awards (http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/) and has contributed millions of dollars to their causes. Three individuals are recognized annually in the award program’s Safety, Quality of Life, Environment categories. Each winner in these categories receives a $100,000 contribution to the charity of his or her choice. The program’s grand winner receives an added bonus of a Volvo car for life. The remaining six Safety, Quality of Life and Environment finalists receive donations of $25,000 to the charities of their choice. Additionally, the Butterfly Award is given to an exceptional child hero. Children who are no older than 16 as of October 15, 2007 are eligible to receive this award, which includes a $25,000 donation to a charity selected by the winning child hero and his or her family. The remaining Butterfly finalists each receive a $10,000 contribution. The award is in honor of Alexandra Scott, a Volvo for life Awards winner from Wynnewood, Pa. who, before passing away at age eight from cancer, raised more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research through lemonade sales and other fundraising activities. Alex’s parents select the winner from three finalists.

   The other finalists in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards are:    Safety:   — Marilyn Adams, 57 of Earlham, Iowa, founded Farm Safety 4 Just Kids and      set out on a mission to promote safe farm environments across the      country and eliminate farm-related child health hazards, injuries and      fatalities.   — Ronald Dundon, 58 of Kalamazoo, Mich., founded the AED (Automatic      External Defibrillator) Fund of Kalamazoo County to help increase the      chances of survival for future sudden cardiac arrest victims in      underserved communities.   — Through his program “Driver’s Edge,” Las Vegas-native Jeff Payne, 40,      teaches thousands of youth how to avoid vehicle accidents and drive      safely.     Quality of Life:   — John Dau, 35 of Syracuse, N.Y., has raised $700,000 to improve      healthcare and literacy in southern Sudan.   — Matthew Sanford, 42 of Orono, Minn., founded Mind Body Solutions, a      nonprofit organization dedicated to revolutionizing the rehabilitation      process.   — Darius Weems, 18 of Athens, Ga., works to raise money and awareness for      Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) research through “Darius Goes West,”      a documentary that chronicles his courageous journey across America.     Environment:   — Lorraine Kerwood, 47 of Eugene, Ore., created an electronics recycling      and distribution center, NextStep, which brings refurbished computers      to disadvantaged communities.   — Charles Turner, 48 of Sedley, Va., founded the Blackwater-Nottoway      Riverkeeper Program, which mobilizes individuals to patrol rivers      looking for signs of pollution and educate others about the importance      of clean, wild waterways.     Butterfly Award:   — Zach Bonner, 10 of Valrico, Fla., founded the Little Red Wagon      Foundation, Inc., an organization that collects and donates backpacks      filled with food and school items to disadvantaged children nationwide.   — Rocco Fiorentino, 11 of Voorhees, N.J., has been blind since birth and      works with the Little Rock Foundation, a nonprofit organization      established by his family to provide resources for children, parents,      therapists, and educators who are facing issues related to blindness.   — Dallas Jessup, 16 of Vancouver, Wash., wrote and produced “Just Yell      Fire,” a film for women of all ages illustrating simple self-defense      strategies to defend against an attack, kidnapping or sexual assault.  

Volvo Cars of North America

CONTACT: Anna Kruchowski of Haberman & Associates, +1-612-372-6459,anna@habermaninc.com, for Volvo Cars of North America

Web site: http://www.volvocars.com/http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/