Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Announce Launch of Online Resources to Strengthen American Families

ATLANTA, February 21, 2008 – Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), along with the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, is launching a new Web site today, http://familyplus.bgca.org, as part of an ongoing partnership and dedication to serving families in the United States. The Web site, one feature of BGCA’s Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) program, contains helpful activities, advice and resources for families to develop the youth of today into the leaders of tomorrow.

"Few of today's families fit the traditional definition of families. In fact, today's families are much more diverse which presents new and unique challenges to raising children," said Jose Cruz, BGCA’s director of Family PLUS. “Our Web site was designed to help families find strategies for parenting a healthy young person, building strength and togetherness, creating connections with community resources and finding ways to get involved with their local Boys & Girls Club.”

In 2005, Kimberly-Clark Corporation pledged to support BGCA’s Family PLUS initiative with a 5-year, $7 million grant. This year, in addition to launching the Web site, BGCA and Kimberly-Clark are awarding portions of the grant to 20 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to implement Family PLUS. An additional 24 Clubs are receiving awards for the outstanding work they did for families in 2007.

"Kimberly-Clark is dedicated to helping strengthen families at the community level," said Carolyn Mentesana, vice president of the Kimberly-Clark Foundation. "With the creation of this Web site and by providing funding for expanded local family programming, Kimberly-Clark and BGCA will be able to increase parents’ and caregivers’ access to meaningful information to help them parent today’s youth in an increasingly complex environment.”

Family PLUS is designed to address family needs and provide resources for family support. The initiative focuses on five key components affecting families: Kinship Care, Father Involvement, Economic Opportunity, Outreach Strategies and Family Advocacy Network (FAN Club). To learn more about Family PLUS, visit http://familyplus.bgca.org or contact Jose Cruz at (404) 487-5306.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Boys & Girls Clubs of America comprises a national network of more than 4,000 neighborhood-based facilities, with 4.8 million youth served through Club membership and community outreach, in all 50 states and on U.S. military bases worldwide. Known as “The Positive Place for Kids,” the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis for children 6-18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize leadership development, education and career exploration, financial literacy, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation, and family outreach. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 136-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com. 
 

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