Procter & Gamble's Live, Learn, and Thrive® in partnership with CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark All Kids Can support nine Special Olympics Programs in support of "Young Athletes"

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has awarded $20,000 to Special Olympics Michigan as part of a larger grant ($150,000), divided among nine Special Olympics Programs in the United States with growing Young Athletes initiatives. The funding is from P&G's Live, Learn and Thrive® grant program. P&G has been a supporter of Special Olympics for over 30 years.

In early 2007, Special Olympics piloted their Young Athletes Program to reach children with intellectual disabilities ages 2- 7, welcoming them and their families into the Special Olympics Movement. The number of these children who train according to Special Olympics' rules more than doubled in 2009 (to nearly 57,000 individuals), following a 50 percent increase in the previous year as well. The program focuses on the basics that are crucial to cognitive development: physical activities that develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination as well as the application of these skills through sports skills programs. It is through the Young Athletes program that volunteers introduce young children to the world of sport, ultimately preparing them for Special Olympics training and competition.

Special Olympics Michigan Chief Program Officer Ann Guzdzial said, "This grant money will help Special Olympics Michigan reach out to families of children with intellectual disabilities and introduce those children into our Young Athletes^TM Program. The grant money provided by P&G and CVS Caremark All Kids Can allows us to impact young lives at such a critical time in the development of balance, and foundational, cognitive and social skills. This money will help change the future of young athletes and their families, and directly impact communities."

"Special Olympics has been an important partner to P&G for years - as has CVS/pharmacy. Our companies are both committed to helping children thrive and reach their full opportunity," said Tom Bechard, P&G Director for CVS/pharmacy. "We are delighted to make this donation to the Special Olympics Young Athletes program on behalf of CVS as we know we are helping kids and families achieve their dreams".

"Some of our favorite initiatives through our All Kids Can program create fun, athletic opportunities for children of all abilities," said Eileen Howard Boone, senior vice president of corporate communications and community relations. "We are thrilled to partner with P&G to provide much-needed support to Special Olympics - an organization that provides invaluable programs and services for children and families in the communities we serve."

About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.4 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in about 80 countries worldwide. In these countries and beyond, P&G is committed to improving lives for children in need through its global cause, Live, Learn and Thrive®. Every day P&G Live, Learn and Thrive® is helping children get off to a healthy start, receive access to education, and build skills for life. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G, its brands, and Live, Learn, and Thrive®.

About CVS Caremark All Kids Can
CVS Caremark All Kids Can, a program of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust and CVS Caremark, is committed to supporting children with disabilities. The goals of All Kids Can are to: support children with disabilities by raising awareness in schools and in local communities about the importance of inclusion; create greater opportunities for physical activity and play; and provide access to medical rehabilitation. CVS Caremark and its more than 200,000 employees seek to help children with disabilities learn, play and succeed through partnerships with leading local and national nonprofit organizations such as Easter Seals, VSA and others across the country. http://www.cvscaremarkallkidscan.com/.