BALFOUR SHOWCASING, REWARDING IMPACT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE HAVING ON THE WORLD

“Make Your Mark” campaign to award $10,000 scholarship, hundreds of prizes to students making a difference.

(AUSTIN, TX; March 15, 2011): Balfour, one of the leading in-school providers of class rings, graduation products and yearbooks, today launched the Make Your Mark Sweepstakes and Contest in order to recognize the proliferation of socially-conscious work being done by students across the country. Students can enter to win a $10,000 college scholarship, as well as hundreds of other prizes at Balfour.com/Make-Your-Mark from March 15 through May 9, 2011.

“At Balfour, we get inspired by students every day, in very different ways,” said Alyce Alston, president and chief executive officer of Balfour. “We hope that, through providing a platform to celebrate their stories, we will help inspire other students to make a difference as well.”

To participate in the Make Your Mark Sweepstakes, students must submit a video, photo or written essay telling Balfour how they are making their mark in the world.  Anyone over the age of 13 (and a legal resident of the U.S.) is allowed to submit one entry for the Make Your Mark Sweepstakes every two weeks, and will be eligible to win one of the Sweepstakes prizes. 

Those students entering the Sweepstakes with a video will automatically be entered in the Make Your Mark Contest and will be eligible to win a $10,000 Balfour college scholarship.  Judges will evaluate all video entries and choose the scholarship winner based on how the student might have followed their passion, made a difference or addressed a need.

The Make Your Mark Sweepstakes provides students with not only the opportunity to highlight their activities and achievements but also win hundreds of prizes including custom class rings, MP3 players, digital cameras, video cameras, and gift cards.

To learn more about Make Your Mark rules and guidelines, or to submit an entry, visit Balfour.com/Make-Your-Mark.

About Balfour

Balfour is a premier provider of school spirit and recognition products for students, military personnel and professional sports teams nationwide.  Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Balfour has sold class rings, yearbooks, graduation products, varsity letter jackets, athletic championship (professional and amateur), military products, and affinity jewelry for nearly 100 years. Balfour is owned by Commemorative Brands, Inc., a company of American Achievement Corporation (AAC), which reported sales of $290 million during fiscal year 2010.  AAC is a portfolio company of Fenway Partners.

About Fenway Partners

Fenway Partners is a middle market private equity firm based in New York with approximately $1.6 billion under management. Fenway invests in profitable businesses with significant upside potential. Fenway companies typically have leading franchises and operate in two core industry segments: branded consumer products and transportation/logistics. Fenway’s current portfolio includes: 1-800- CONTACTS (the leading direct-to-consumer distributor of contact lenses); American Achievement Corporation; Coach America (largest operator of motor coach buses); Easton Bell Sports (performance sporting goods); Fastfrate (Canadian-based logistics services); Panther Expedited Services (expedited ground and air solutions); Preferred Freezer (operator of public warehouses); and RoadLink (intermodal logistics), among others.

# # #

Contact: Lacy LaBorde
Director of Communications
512.440.2639
lacy.laborde@balfour.com

Tags: