$475,000 Grant from Wal-Mart Foundation Gives
Out-of-School Youth in Massachusetts Opportunity
to Rebuild Their Lives and Their Communities

Grant Helps Undereducated, Underemployed Youth Earn High School Diplomas
or GEDs, Develop Job Skills and Serve Their Communities

Boston, MA, October 22, 2008 – YouthBuild programs in Massachusetts received $475,000 yesterday from the Wal-Mart Foundation. This grant will help hundreds of students to earn their GED or high school diploma, develop job skills, and build affordable housing for low-income families in nine communities across the state. Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation, and Dorothy Stoneman, president of YouthBuild USA, joined local officials and Massachusetts YouthBuild programs for the announcement at a LEED-registered, two-family home in Dorchester that is being constructed by YouthBuild Boston.

The grant of $475,000 to nine YouthBuild programs in Massachusetts is part of a larger grant of $5 million from the Wal-Mart Foundation to YouthBuild programs across the country. The $5 million grant will support 59 YouthBuild affiliates. It will expand their capacity, create new program offerings, increase YouthBuild programs' ability to implement green building techniques, expand access to careers in green industries, assist YouthBuild graduates to build assets, and attract more young women to YouthBuild through healthcare training initiatives. In addition to YouthBuild programs in Boston, Cambridge, Lawrence, Quincy, Brockton, New Bedford, Fall River, Worcester and Springfield, the Wal-Mart Foundation grant will support programs across the country including Philadelphia, Portland, New Orleans, Austin and St. Louis.

In YouthBuild programs, low-income, undereducated, and/or underemployed young people, ages 16-24, work toward their GEDs or high school diplomas. In addition to their work in the classroom, YouthBuild students learn job skills by building affordable housing for homeless and low-income families and participate in leadership development activities in their communities. Since 1994, 76,000 YouthBuild students have completed more than 17,000 units of housing in 226 of America's most under-served communities.

"The Wal-Mart Foundation is committed to providing opportunities for young people who need opportunities to improve their lives," said McKenna. "At a time when so many non-profit organizations are facing financial pressure, we are very pleased to step up and help youths in Boston and across Massachusetts fill the gap and continue with their mission. Through this grant, we are supporting young people in their efforts to improve their own lives as well as improve the living conditions of low-income families here in Boston."

"YouthBuild is grateful for this generous grant from Wal-Mart that will enable us to maintain our educational and vocational programs," said Andrew Mente, chair of the Massachusetts YouthBuild Coalition. "In cities across the Commonwealth, we are providing young people with the skills they need to reverse course and build better lives."

At the event, guests toured the site, which is a green building, designed to provide sustainable housing for low-income families. YouthBuild Boston, the project’s developer and general contractor, has a goal of attaining the coveted LEED Platinum certification for the building. The structure is built with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and an insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation, making it incredibly well-sealed against cold New England winters. It also includes recycled materials, minimal VOC levels, sustainably produced lumber products, low-flow plumbing and other environmentally responsible features. The homes are nearing completion and are on the market through the Department of Neighborhood Development's 1st Home Program.

Students from several YouthBuild programs in Massachusetts also spoke at the event.

Jason Arias, a 22-year-old Dorchester resident, has worked at the 26 Arbutus Street site since he enrolled at YouthBuild Boston in April. He feels like he has gained a lot from the program. "I'm almost done with my GED," he notes. "I just got one more part (of the GED to pass). Then I'm going straight to Ben Franklin (Institute of Technology) for heating and HVAC. I just have to get 40 points higher in reading and I'm done." Arias commented that he recently moved into his own place. He plans to take advantage of the Individual Development Account "IDA" program provided by Wal-Mart's grant. Though he plans to move on to learn about HVAC and heating, he embraces the carpentry skills and other knowledge he’s gotten at YouthBuild Boston. "I've gotten to do something I love — work with my hands…I like to know a lot of different skills. I learned how to read a tape (measure). I learned to use a lot of power tools. (Carpentry) is just another trade I’ve got under my belt. I might be at pipefitting next."
YouthBuild programs are funded through a combination of federal, state, local and private foundation and corporate funds. The primary federal funding comes from the YouthBuild program authorized under the U.S. Department of Labor. Private investment, including the $5 million Wal-Mart grant, augments the government funding and is a key part of the overall public-private partnership supporting YouthBuild programs.

About Philanthropy at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and its foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. Through its philanthropic programs and partnerships, the company supports initiatives focused on enhancing opportunities in education, job skills training, sustainability, and health. In 2007, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and the Wal-Mart Foundation gave $296 million to communities across the United States. To learn more, visit www.walmartstores.com/community.

About Philanthropy at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $296 million to local United States communities. To learn more, visit http://www.walmartfacts.com, http://www.walmart.com, or http://www.walmartfoundation.org.

About YouthBuild
YouthBuild is a youth and community development program that simultaneously addresses core issues facing low-income communities: education, employment, housing, crime prevention, and leadership development. In YouthBuild programs, low-income young people ages 16-24 work full-time for 6 to 24 months toward their GEDs or high school diplomas while learning job skills by building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people and participating in leadership development activities in their communities. There are 226 local, autonomous YouthBuild programs in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, engaging approximately 8,000 young adults each year.

About the Massachusetts YouthBuild Coalition:
YouthBuild programs in Massachusetts give underserved young people the academic and vocational training, leadership experience, life skills and confidence to take responsibility for their lives and their communities. Through hands-on training, students learn various aspects of the building trades. In so doing, they build affordable housing for low-income residents and help restore blighted neighborhoods. In a shared commitment to social and environmental responsibility, and to assure students a competitive advantage in the job market, Coalition members employ sustainable building practices and emerging technologies.

The Massachusetts YouthBuild Coalition is comprised of 11 YouthBuild programs in the following cities: Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Fall River, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Quincy, Springfield, and Worcester. The Coalition provides a forum for these programs to collaborate, share resources, build partnerships, and exchange best

YouthBuild Boston media contact:
Andrew Padilla
617.445.8887 x15
apadilla@ybboston.org