FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Twin Towers Orphan Fund, Web site: www.ttof.org
Jennifer Zucco, (978) 465-7776,
jennifer@spotlight-pr.com
W. Knox Richardson, (408) 499-7146, knox@ttof.org
Dana Victoria Sophia, (914) 968-3383, danavsophia@ttof.org

KIDS ACROSS THE NATION RESPOND TO SEPTEMBER 11 TRAGEDIES THROUGH ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF THE TWIN TOWERS ORPHAN FUND

BOSTON, MA, OCTOBER 3, 2001 - Children of all ages nationwide, deeply affected by the tragedies of September 11, have found their own vehicle to help the victims. The Twin Towers Orphan Fund, a national charity established to provide support to children who lost parents in the New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania disasters, has reported that its "Kids-to-Kids" effort has drawn hundreds of donations including cash, stuffed animals, friendship bracelets and many other items.

For example, in Ohio, four-year-old Ella wanted to help the children who lost parents in the events. She, with the help of her parents, decided to make buttons with the flag she painted and the message "My prayers are with you". Ella has been trading the buttons for donations, and she has raised over $450. Ella's buttons can be purchased on the Twin Towers Orphan Fund Web site at www.ttof.org/html/kids2kids.htm.

In Bakersfield, California, school children have been actively raising money for the Twin Towers Orphan Fund. Curran Middle School has raised $471.79, and over 800 elementary and middle school students took pledges and conducted a walk-a-thon in Bakersfield on October 1. Area high schools collected more than $5,000 during a September 14 candlelight service, which was marked by speeches from students and local religious leaders.

Students at the Deer Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona have organized a post card drive; designing, printing and selling postcards with a "We Love New York" logo to attending students and staff. The proceeds will be given to the Twin Towers Orphan Fund, while the postcards with messages will be sent to families, firefighters and residents of New York.

Many students of schools nationwide have written letters to children affected by the tragedies. Other schools and organizations have conducted events including a friendship bracelet trade by Michigan youth and fundraisers by Youth Alive in Bloomington, Illinois.

Information on more activities in the Twin Towers Orphan Fund Kids-to-Kids program can be found on the Web site at www.ttof.org/html/kids2kids.htm.

The Twin Towers Orphan Fund is a 100 percent volunteer-supported activity. Volunteers are answering telephones, handling mail, electronic donations, website development and support, plus all professional public relations efforts, as well as producing and distributing national television and radio public service announcements, developing all marketing and collateral materials, administrative support, accounting, banking and legal needs for the fund, just to name a few. Non-cash donations compliment the volunteer efforts, such as contributing telephones, printing, videotape duplication and press release distribution.

The co-founders are determined to maintain the goal of ensuring 100 percent of the funds donated are held in trust exclusively for the benefit of children who lost parents during the tragedy of September 11, 2001. No donations to the fund are being spent on administration, management or marketing.

About The Twin Towers Orphan Fund
The Twin Towers Orphan Fund was announced and established on September 13 to benefit children orphaned by the national disasters of September 11, 2001. All donations collected will be used to provide for the long-term well being of those children, including educational assistance and mental and physical health care. The fund is recognized by the American Liberty Partnership (http://www.libertyunites.org) and by Helping.org (http://www.helping.org), both are national clearinghouses for charitable donations.

The fund was founded by a national coalition of independent public relations practitioners around the country with support from a Bakersfield, California charity, and has received a groundswell of support from elected officials, civic leaders, public corporations and the charitable community here and across the nation. The Twin Towers Orphan fund was co-founded and is administered by Garden Pathways Inc., an established 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization doing business as Family to Family Mentoring, and based in Bakersfield, Calif. David Mills, executive director of the charity, provided the use of its tax-exempt status to the new fund as well as administrative support, accounting services, banking, a phone bank staffed by local volunteers, and legal support for the new fund, which is being held in trust by San Joaquin Bank.

Garden Pathways is recognized and receives federal government funds known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) that are distributed to them by the Kern County Department of Human Services. Further, it receives children's voucher funds from the State of California. It has also received recognition from the Kern County Board of Supervisors, S.O.A R., members of the California State Assembly, Employer's Training Resource's Welfare to Work program, and Community Connection for Child Care, among others. Its funds are audited by an independent certified public accountant. Such audit reports are available to the public upon demand.

Donations can be made to "Twin Towers Orphan Fund," in care of Family-to-Family Mentoring, 900 22nd St., Bakersfield, Calif. 93301. A tax-deductible receipt will be provided for donations of $250 or more. This is a program of Garden Pathways Inc., a 501c3 organization. Annual audits are available upon request. A Website has been created to provide additional information and accept donations by credit cards at http://www.ttof.org. To make donations by telephone, call (661) 633-9076, 24 hours a day.

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