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January 24, 2006
FEBRUARY DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR GUARDIAN'S SIXTH ANNUAL GIRLS GOING PLACES TEEN ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM
Teachers, Parents and Community Members Can Nominate Teen Business Owners
More than $30,000 in Prizes to be Awarded to Young Girls
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Anayo Afolabi
The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
Tel: 212.598.8329
anayo_afolabi@glic.com
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NEW YORK, January 24, 2006 — The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) announced that today marks the final four weeks of the 2006 Girls Going Places® entrepreneurship award program nomination period. Guardian began accepting nominations in September for its national competition, which recognizes and rewards entrepreneurial, community-minded girls between the ages of 12 and 18.
Entries will be accepted through February 24, 2006. Scholarships will be presented to each winner in their respective communities.
Guardian and Girls Going Places® will award 15 girls a total of $30,000 to be used toward furthering their education and supporting their entrepreneurial pursuits. Three top scholarship prizes of $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 and 12 finalist prizes of $1,000 each will be granted. Adults are asked to nominate girls - who could be their daughter, niece, neighbor or student — by submitting a 750 to 1,000-word essay on why the nominee deserves a Girls Going Places® award. A panel of judges will review the essays and pick finalists that:
 | Demonstrate budding entrepreneurship and/or financial acumen; |
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| Have taken the first steps toward financial independence; |
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| Make a difference in their school or community; |
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| Show potential for future success by initiating a new business. |
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"Women today are making a significant contribution to the American economy, as owners of 9.1 million businesses that employ 27.5 million people across the country," said Emily Viner, Field Vice President, Individual Markets, Guardian, New York. "Guardian developed the Girls Going Places® program to ensure that young women are aware of the many financial and entrepreneurial opportunities available to them."
During the 2005 program, Guardian received more than 4,600 nominations. The national first place winner in the 2005 competition, Chauncey Holloman of Arkansas, founded Harlem Lyrics Enterprises, Inc., a greeting card and merchandising business. The company's products are sold in two national chains, Kroger and Walgreens, and in shops across the United States.
Dallas Woodburn of Ventura, California received the national second place prize in 2005. She is an award-winning and published author. She is also founder of the non-profit foundation, Write On!, which promotes and fosters an appreciation for reading and writing. Dallas writes the "Teen Talk" column for Family Circle magazine.
The Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Award Program anchors Guardian's Women's Initiative, which was established to help women create, invest and protect wealth. As part of this effort, Guardian is a National Patron of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), which partially underwrites the Girls Going Places® awards. Additional information about the program and nomination forms for the competition can be found at: www.girlsgoingplaces.com.
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