ST. LOUIS, MO -- (MARKET WIRE) -- February 13, 2007 -- Last year, Energizer (
"It would be hard to find anyone more exemplary than John and the other nine Hall of Fame finalists that were chosen from amongst more than 1,200 nominations last year," said Jeff Ziminski, Vice President of Marketing for Energizer North America. "So we look forward to seeing what great stories come from this year's contest. We want as many people as possible to look around them and identify those people with an unstoppable spirit; people who inspire us all and really embrace life. It might be a friend, a co-worker, your mom or your dad. Whoever it is, we want to hear about them and shine a light (powered by Energizer batteries of course) on those individuals."
Leading the search are Cal Ripken, Jr., who set baseball's all-time record for consecutive games played (2,632 to be exact), and the Energizer Bunny®. Ripken is in two Halls of Fame -- the baseball version in Cooperstown, and the Keep Going Hall of Fame at Energizer's World Headquarters in St. Louis. The Energizer Bunny is a national icon, so recognized that he has his own definition in the Oxford English Dictionary. He has been used to describe such people as Fortune 500 executives and marathon runners of all ages.
The contest is easy to enter. Anyone can nominate a person whose perseverance and determination best exemplify the qualities and spirit of the Energizer Bunny and the batteries he represents. Nominators, those who enter someone's story into the contest, will be entered into a drawing for signed baseball memorabilia from Cal Ripken, Jr.
Nominations can be made by submitting an essay of 300 words, accompanied by a photo and/or video no more than three minutes long. The nomination should tell the story of the candidate's unstoppable spirit and why he or she deserves to be an inductee into the Keep Going® Hall of Fame. Nominations can be made by going to www.energizer.com/halloffame/ek. First-round nominations will close March 26, 2007. A panel of independent judges will narrow the field to 100 semi-finalists, who will be honored in their hometowns.
Then the judges will select 10 finalists whose names and stories will be posted online. At that point, all of America will be given a chance to select the winner through an online vote.
The voting will take place in June of 2007. Each vote will trigger a $1.00 donation from Energizer to the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, up to $10,000.
The Energizer® Keep Going® Hall of Fame winner will attend a special induction ceremony at the Keep Going Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri. The inductee will also get a $10,000 cash award and an additional $5,000 will be donated to the charity of his or her choice.
What kind of people are Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Energizer Bunny looking for? In addition to last year's winner, John O'Leary, there's last year's finalist Brenda Gilmore of Upper Marlboro, MD, who was left paralyzed by a car accident. She took up wheelchair tennis, became a nationally ranked player and founded the non-profit Prince George's Tennis and Education Foundation.
Or how about Denise Walsh of Fairfield, CT, a mother of four and a nurse who assembles teams of doctors and nurses and travels to countries like Sri Lanka and Haiti, where they donate their time and medical supplies to treat impoverished communities.
And there is 6-year-old Dustin Wilen who earned his black belt at age 4.
"We're looking for people who never quit," said Energizer's Ziminski. "Almost all of us know someone who is determined like Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Energizer Bunny and has a can-do attitude. We're asking everyone to help us identify and honor those very energetic and inspirational people."
For more information and details, go to www.energizer.com/halloffame/ek.
About Energizer:
Energizer Holdings, Inc. (
The Energizer product line also includes specialty batteries for hearing aids and medical devices, as well as for keyless remote entry systems, toys and other uses. Through its flashlight unit, Energizer brings innovation to this important household device. Energizer continues its role as a technology leader as it launches Energizer® Energi To Go™, portable battery-driven power packs for cell phones.
To view this release online, go to: http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2007/Blick020207/index.html.
Contact Information: For Further Information Contact: Samantha Leavitt 314-995-3939 x101 samanthal@blickandstaff.com Jeff Bachmann 314-995-3939 ext. 102 jeffb@blickandstaff.com