The Search Is On To Honor Heroes Fighting Heart Disease
CBCF and Cheerios® Seek Nominations for Awards Totaling $25,000 in
Sisters Saving Hearts™ Grants to Heart-Inspiring Leaders, Organizations

WASHINGTON – – Here’s some heart-stopping news: heart disease, the number one killer of women in the United States, is more prevalent among black women than any other race. This troubling statistic, and others equally as serious, has brought the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Inc. (CBCF) and Cheerios together to support the second-annual Sisters Saving Hearts grant initiative as part of the Cheerios Circle of Helping Hearts® cause-marketing campaign.

Sisters Saving Hearts, a grassroots grant-giving program, will award five $5,000 grants to individuals or service organizations that have taken the severity of the disease to heart and are working within the African-American community to raise awareness for heart disease prevention.

Nominations can be submitted between February 1 and March 14, 2008, via the Web site SistersSavingHearts.com or through the mail.

The initiative’s Web site features stories of last year’s heart heroines – five winners who have taken the fight into their own hands and improved their communities in the process. The site also contains health and wellness information to help women better understand how they can reduce their risk of developing heart disease, such as keeping cholesterol levels in check.

“We are excited to partner with Cheerios to award grant monies to ordinary individuals who are doing extraordinary things to fight heart disease,” said Elsie L. Scott, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

“CBCF is uniquely positioned to address the challenges facing our minority communities today and our programs consistently touch lives in extraordinary ways,” Dr. Scott said. “We have a long heritage of partnering with Cheerios on health-related initiatives, and understand that tackling heart disease together is a natural extension of this collaboration. Distributing these grant monies will be an impactful way to address a significant and largely preventable disease.”

In addition to the Sisters Saving Hearts grant initiative, beginning today, Cheerios and 8th Continent® soymilk will donate up to $500,000 to WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. Consumers can support the effort by entering a “donation code” on the inside top flap of specially marked packages of Cheerios boxes at www.CheeriosHelpingHearts.com.

For every unique donation code entered by Jan. 30, 2009, Cheerios will donate $1 to WomenHeart. And, 8th Continent will donate $1 for every unique code entered at www.8thContinent.com by Dec. 31, 2008. By entering codes featured inside specially marked packages to these sites, Americans can direct up to $300,000 towards cholesterol screenings for communities of women in need. Cheerios and 8th Continent will donate an additional $200,000 to help raise awareness and provide education about the risk of women’s heart disease.

“General Mills is very committed to issues that affect women, especially those related to health,” explained Sara Rohland, Cheerios marketing. “Cheerios is the only leading cold cereal clinically proven to lower cholesterol. As such, we’re committed to educating and empowering consumers through the Cheerios Circle of Helping Hearts campaign and initiatives like the Sisters Saving Hearts grants and continued sponsorship of organizations like WomenHeart.”

For more information on the Sisters Saving Hearts grants or to find out more about Cheerios and heart health, consumers can contact CBCF at (202) 263-2800 or visit www.cbcfinc.org or call (866) 644-7714 or visit www.SistersSavingHearts.com.

About the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Inc.
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Inc. (CBCF) was established in 1976 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit, public policy, research and educational institute intended to broaden and elevate the influence of African Americans in the political, legislative and public policy arenas.

About General Mills Inc.
General Mills, with annual net sales of $13.4 billion, is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Based in Minneapolis, General Mills’ mission is to innovate to make people’s lives healthier, easier and richer around the world. Its global brand portfolio includes Cheerios and other Big G cereals, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Nature Valley, Yoplait and more. It also has more than 100 U.S. consumer brands, more than 30 of which generate annual retail sales in excess of $100 million. General Mills also is a leading supplier of baking and other food products to the food service and commercial baking industries.
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General Mills Contacts:

Lauren Powell
Circulation Expert
(914) 948-8144
laurenp@experti.com

Kim Bow Sundy
General Mills
(763) 764-2591
kim.bowsundy@genmills.com