Valassis Continues Search for Missing Children

Missing Children's Day Celebrated Nationally on May 25

LIVONIA, Mich., May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Valassis (NYSE:
VCI), one of the nation's leading marketing services companies, continues
its strong commitment to a program that began in 1985 and today places the
photos of missing children in mailboxes, newspaper inserts and on the web.
National attention is drawn to this cause each year in May as National Missing
Children's Day is recognized on May 25.
This nationwide observance was first proclaimed in 1983 by President
Ronald Reagan and serves as an annual reminder to the nation to renew efforts
to reunite missing children with their families, remember those who are still
missing, and make child protection a national priority. May 25 is the
anniversary of the day in 1979 when 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from a
New York street corner on his way to school. His story captivated the nation.
For nearly three decades, the search for Etan has continued. However, today,
just as that day 29 years ago, Etan is still missing.
The America's Looking for Its Missing Children(R) program provides
hope for families across the country with children who are missing. It has
grown to become the most successful photo program of its kind. In partnership
with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(R) (NCMEC) and the
U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Valassis expanded the program to its RedPlum
free-standing insert and redplum.com this past year. Valassis also now prints
the missing child photos featured on both its mailed and newspaper insert
advertising pieces at its three printing divisions in Livonia, Michigan;
Durham, North Carolina; and Wichita, Kansas. Pieces printed in the Durham
(147th recovery) and Livonia (148th recovery) plants and distributed through
our Atlanta, Ga. and Belleville, Mich. branches, respectively, have played
vital roles in these recoveries. For the first time, the pieces that have
resulted in these recoveries have been designed, created, printed and
distributed within the partnership, creating an even greater sense of pride
for Valassis, NCMEC and USPS associates. A total of 148 children have been
recovered since the program began.
"We have embraced public service as part of our daily business," said
Vince Giuliano, Valassis Senior Vice President, Government Relations,
and cofounder of the program. "We are proud of our efforts in the fight
for child protection, and along with our partners, we believe we have made a
difference in the countless lives the program has touched. I have great
conviction in the reach and power of this company to further efforts to
protect our children and bring even more children home."
Valassis is celebrating this partnership throughout the month by promoting
child safety programs to all of its associates with special attention to
NCMEC's "Take 25" campaign. The campaign is sponsored by Lifetouch, the
largest employee-owned photography company in the world, and was launched for
Missing Children's Day last year. It encourages parents and trusted adult
role models to take 25 minutes out of their day to talk to their kids,
teaching them ways to be safer. Valassis associates were also provided white
ribbons, a symbol of hope for missing children and their families.
A primary goal of National Missing Children's Day is to remind all parents
and guardians that photos are the number one tool for law enforcement to
recover a missing child, and that photos provide much needed hope for
searching families.
About Valassis
Valassis is one of the nation's leading marketing services companies,
offering unparalleled reach and scale to more than 15,000 advertisers. Its
RedPlum media portfolio delivers value on a weekly basis to over 100 million
shoppers across a multi-media platform -- in-home, in-store and in-motion.
Through its newest offering -- redplum.com -- consumers will find compelling
national and local deals online. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan with
approximately 7,000 associates in 28 states and nine countries, Valassis is
widely recognized for its associate and corporate citizenship programs,
including its America's Looking for Its Missing Children(R) program.
Valassis companies include Valassis Direct Mail, Inc., Valassis Canada,
Promotion Watch, Valassis Relationship Marketing Systems, LLC and NCH
Marketing Services, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.valassis.com
or http://www.redplum.com .
Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements found in this document constitute "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and
uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of Valassis to be materially different from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following:
price competition from Valassis' existing competitors; new competitors in any
of Valassis' businesses; a shift in client preference for different
promotional materials, strategies or coupon delivery methods; an unforeseen
increase in Valassis' paper or postal costs; changes which affect the
businesses of Valassis' clients and lead to reduced sales promotion spending;
challenges and costs of achieving synergies and cost savings in connection
with the acquisition of ADVO ("ADVO") and integrating ADVO's operations may be
greater than expected; Valassis' substantial indebtedness, and its ability to
incur additional indebtedness, may affect Valassis' financial health; certain
covenants in Valassis' debt documents could adversely restrict Valassis'
financial and operating flexibility; fluctuations in the amount, timing,
pages, weight and kinds of advertising pieces from period to period, due to a
change in Valassis' clients' promotional needs, inventories and other
factors; Valassis' failure to attract and retain qualified personnel may
affect its business and results of operations; a rise in interest rates could
increase Valassis' borrowing costs; the outcome of ADVO's pending shareholder
lawsuits; possible governmental regulation or litigation affecting aspects of
Valassis' business; and general economic conditions, whether nationally or in
the market areas in which Valassis conducts its business, may be less
favorable than expected. These and other risks and uncertainties related to
Valassis' business are described in greater detail in its filings with the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including Valassis' reports
on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and the foregoing information should be read in
conjunction with these filings. Valassis disclaims any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Valassis

Mary Broaddus, Director, Corporate Communications of Valassis,
+1-734-591-7375, broaddusm@valassis.com