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Best Buy Puts $1 Million from @15 Fund in Hands of Teens to Direct Corporate Philanthropy
Teens can earn Change Exchange points for participation at www.at15.org that become cash to direct each quarter to nonprofitsMINNEAPOLIS, February 4, 2009 - Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) today unveiled the @15 Change Exchange, which gives teens the chance to direct $1 million to nonprofits in 2009 by earning points for participating at www.at15.org.
Best Buy also announced the launch of its latest quarterly @15 IMO (In My Opinion) survey, in partnership with Do Something, which this quarter asks teens for their opinions on philanthropy and volunteerism. The survey can be taken at www.at15.org or www.dosomething.org, as well as MySpace and Facebook. Teens who take the survey by February 20, 2009 can earn 150 Change Exchange points.
@15 is open to all teens, ages 13-18, in the United States. By participating in activities on www.at15.org, such as creating a profile, taking the quarterly @15 IMO survey, inviting a friend to @15 or writing a blog post on a key issue, teens can earn Change Exchange points. Each quarter, teens' points will be converted into real donation dollars up to $250,000, and participants will be invited to donate their dollars to one of four nonprofit partner organizations focused on social change. For the first quarter, the featured nonprofits will be Communities in Schools, Genesys Works, Mercy Corps and Project Girl. The power (and the money) is truly in teens' hands.
Do Something, which believes in the power of the Internet to help young people change the world, will engage teens across the United States to share their opinions in the IMO survey, earn Change Exchange points, and participate in @15.
"We believe teens have the power to drive change, and we're committed to providing them with the tools to truly make a difference in their communities," said Brian J. Dunn, president and COO, Best Buy Co., Inc. "The @15 Change Exchange and IMO survey are investments in this country's next generation of leaders - investments that will pay dividends for all of us."
About @15
Best Buy believes in the power of teens, and @15 is a new platform to connect with them, give voice to their perspectives, and invest our resources - including the energy and talents of our employees - to turn their ideas into action and support their efforts to lead social change. Teens bring passion and enthusiasm to tackling tough issues. They're also important to our business - they shop in our stores, and they're our future employees. There's a real opportunity to listen to - and learn from - what teens have to say. And through the @15 Fund, we'll put the philanthropic power of @15 directly into their hands. To learn more, visit www.at15.org.
About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and China, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $40 billion annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy, Audiovisions, The Carphone Warehouse, Future Shop, Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star, Magnolia Audio Video, Napster, Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers, The Phone House and Speakeasy. Approximately 165,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2008, we donated a combined $31.8 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuyinc.com.
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