America Selects Florida Teen as One of the Nation's Top Hometown Heroes

Seventeen-Year-Old Zander Srodes, author of 'Turtle Talks' and Environmental
Steward, Reaches Finals of 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards

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.

SOURCE Volvo Cars of North America

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