Care Bears Kick Off National Care Week With a Weekend of Sharing and Caring Activities in Simon Malls Across the Country

NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- American Greetings and Joester Loria are proud to announce a marketing alliance with Simon Brand Ventures, the business-to-consumer arm of Simon Property Group ("Simon"), to kick off the 3rd Annual National Care Week on Nov. 5 and 6 with caring-style celebrations at 88 Simon Malls across the country.

Thousands of children will learn how fun and rewarding sharing and caring can be at the events, which will feature costume character appearances, story time readings by local celebrities, and previews of classic fairytales read by Share Bear. Craft stations will distribute a free Care Bears coloring sheet, an activity book and an "I Care, I Share" sticker badge for each participating child. Children will also have the chance to donate a new or gently used book to underprivileged children in their community, through Gifts in Kind International.

During National Care Week, November 5 - 11 the Care Bears will once again promote "Caring and Sharing" through good deeds among preschoolers based on the "You're Never Too Young to Care" preschool curriculum program. Educators, along with parents, are encouraged to organize community activities for their classes that will empower young Americans to carry out acts of kindness through caring and sharing. Outreach for this year's National Care Week will expand to more than 31,000 preschools and over 10 million children, teachers and parents. The program is supported by a custom in-school curriculum to guide early educators in how to instill these values both in and out of the classroom.

"Children who love the Care Bears are at a very impressionable age, and the chance to showcase the importance of, and a love for, reading makes this an event we are especially proud of," explained Michael Brown, Vice President, Licensing, American Greetings. "Overlaying it with an opportunity to help the less fortunate by donating books is even more satisfying."

The upbeat and educational two-hour events will take place in 88 Simon Malls on Saturday, Nov. 5 or Sunday, Nov. 6 in 35 of the nation's largest markets, including New York, Boston, Miami, Houston, Chicago and Orange County, Calif.

The Care Bears team will work in conjunction with Gifts In Kind International and Simon Malls to select and deliver books donated to a charity located in the same community as the participating Simon Mall where the books were donated. Communities will be encouraged to consider donating books to child victims of Hurricane Katrina. Gifts In Kind International is the 3rd largest charity in the U.S. and assists companies in donating products to over 200,000 nonprofit organizations around the world. This Share-a-Story themed event will promote the importance of reading and the value of sharing the love of reading with others. Share-a-Story Share Bear, from JAKKS Pacific's/Play Along Inc., teaches the youngest of children the importance of reading by using animatronic technology. Share Bear magically comes to life as she reads along with the storybook, her eyes, mouth and head move in sync with the story as she shares a classic fairytale.

Scholastic will seed the book donation by providing over 2,200 books to the participating 88 malls, which will be donated to the participating nonprofit organizations. Each participating nonprofit organization will receive 25 books from Scholastic to foster the early love of reading. Additionally, all children participating in the Care Bears event will also receive a Care Bears bookmark and suggested reading list to keep their love of reading alive.

Since this classic property was re-launched in 2002 by American Greetings Corporation and the Joester Loria Group, the worldwide exclusive licensing agency for the brand, the Care Bears, have become more popular than ever. These caring and sharing ambassadors for kids of all ages will kick-off National Care Week with acts of giving that will extend their special caring mission to communities across the country.

"We are thrilled to bring Care Bears to children across the country with the help of Simon Malls." stated Debra Joester, president of The Joester Loria Group. "Our partnership with Simon Malls provides us with the perfect opportunity to continue to spread the Care Bears message of sharing and caring to children while giving back at the same time."

"The Care Bears message of caring and sharing is very timely for today's kids and a great fit with our Simon Kidgits Club, which offers entertaining programs focused on health and wellness, education, safety and entertainment for children ages three through eight," said Cathi Weiner, senior vice president, business development for Simon Brand Ventures. "The Care Bears are much-beloved classics that appeal strongly both to children and parents who visit our malls for entertaining and interactive Kidgits events."

"We salute the generosity of Care Bears, Simon Malls and Scholastic. Because of their community spirit, hundreds of underprivileged children will receive a book of their very own and be touched through the Share-A-Story experience," said Barbara Florence, Vice President, Gifts In Kind International

About The Care Bears

When introduced by American Greetings in 1982, the Care Bears property was truly ahead of its time in that it created a personalized play experience through unique characters that helped teach kids about the importance of caring for others and sharing special feelings.

Led by Cheer Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Share Bear and other unforgettable characters, the Care Bears truly connected with children and families the world over. In 2002, the instantly recognizable Care Bears made a grand exit from hibernation and grabbed national headlines by sparking consumer frenzy with a new generation of kids and teens, as well as parents who originally grew up with the cuddly characters. Since their reintroduction in 2002, the Care Bears have clearly demonstrated their appeal as a true classic, evergreen property and continue their sharing mission with new activities and programs in 2005 and beyond.

About Simon Malls

Simon Property Group, Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership, development and management of retail real estate, primarily regional malls, Premium Outlet(R) centers and community/lifestyle centers. The Company's current total market capitalization is approximately $41 billion. Through its subsidiary partnership, it currently owns or has an interest in 295 properties in the United States containing an aggregate of 201 million square feet of gross leasable area in 40 states plus Puerto Rico. Simon also owns interests in 51 European shopping centers in France, Italy, Poland and Portugal; 5 Premium Outlet(R) centers in Japan; and one Premium Outlet(R) center in Mexico. Additional Simon Property Group information is available at http://www.simon.com/.

About Simon Brand Ventures

Simon Brand Ventures (SBV), Simon's business-to-consumer arm, has pioneered the transformation of shopping malls into a medium where consumer brands can build one-on-one relationships with shoppers who make approximately 2 billion visits to Simon Malls each year. Simon's vast franchise of market- leading shopping centers nationwide provides SBV the foundation to monetize the distribution system through numerous consumer ventures. SBV has engaged in a number of consumer business initiatives, including the Simon Giftcard(TM), launch of Simon platform programs such as Simon Kidgits Club(TM), Simon Super Chefs Live!(TM) , Simon DTour Live(TM), Simon Mall for You(TM), and Simon Evening of Giving(TM); a national media delivery channel including experiential marketing methods; and multiple national and local marketing alliances with Coca-Cola, Visa USA and Cingular Wireless, among others.

About Gifts In Kind

Gifts In Kind International is the world leader in product philanthropy and the 3rd largest product and service philanthropic provider in the United States. Its network of 450-plus Gifts In Kind(R) programs provides nonprofits access to million of dollars annually in product and service donations from companies worldwide-nearly $820 million in 2004. Gifts In Kind International operates at less than one percent of the fair market value of product donations, making it one of the most cost-effective organizations in the world.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school- based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, http://www.scholastic.com/.

About American Greetings Corporation

American Greetings Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of social expression products. Along with greeting cards, its product lines include gift wrap, party goods, candles, stationery, calendars, educational products, ornaments and electronic greetings. American Greetings is also the creator and owner of many celebrated character properties, including Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual net sales of approximately $2 billion. For more information on the Corporation, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com/.

About The Joester Loria Group

The Joester Loria Group, http://www.joesterloriagroup.com/, is a full- service licensing and marketing agency providing its clients with a full array of services including: strategic planning, competitive analysis, implementation of licensing strategy, management of publicity, advertising and marketing for licensing programs. The Joester Loria Group represents DaimlerChrysler Corporation for Jeep and Chrysler, American Greetings for Care Bears and Get Along Gang, Gruner+Jahr including Parents Magazine, BabyGenius, Pepsi and Mountain Dew, Cablevision's Fuse TV and the family of Rodale Inc. magazines including Men's Health and Prevention.