Charm Accessory Recall
Girl Scouts Recall Heart-Shaped Charm With Globe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2007

New York, N.Y. – Girls Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has issued a recall of a charm and instructed their retail customers to remove the item from their shelves, after a routine test identified the lead content in one paint color exceeded safety standards. The metal content of the charm, however, was deemed safe. The charm was sold as an accessory made to hang on backpacks or purses. It has the UPC codes 11051. Current standards indicate that metal and paint objects for children under age six must be under 600 ppm, and while the charm was not an age-specific activity award, GSUSA has made the recall of this accessory.

The charm was sold via wholesale and retail, so it is not immediately known if any of the charms were sold to girls under six years old. Anyone who purchased the charm will be given a full credit. Please contact GSUSA Customer Service to obtain Return Authorization instructions at 1-800-221-6707.

Girl Scout Merchandise has placed a hold on all shipment of the charms from our distribution facility, taken the product off sale, issued a recall to wholesale and retail customers, and will no longer take orders, or carry this product. In addition, the organization has cancelled all future orders on this product, and the manufacturer will be required to test all current and future products produced for GSUSA.

The manufacturer was Shalom International Corporation. Girl Scouts number one priority is the health and safety of girls. We regularly work diligently to ensure the safety of all merchandise we distribute. This includes random lead testing procedures as a complement to the strict testing requirements of our vendors and to assure compliance with safety standards.

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Girl Scouts on New Season of Run's House;
Vanessa and Angela Simmons Become Girl Scout Role Models

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 26, 2007

CONTACT:
Media Inquiries:
CRT/tanaka
Lisa Harris
646.218.6022  
lharris@crt-tanaka.com

Non-Media Inquiries:
Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA)
Ashlene Nand
212.852.8581
anand@girlscouts.org

New York, NY, November 26, 2007- On November 29 at 10:00PM (ET/PT) MTV viewers will watch Vanessa and Angela Simmons become the newest members of the Girl Scout family! On this episode of "Run's House", cameras follow Vanessa and Angela Simmons - daughters of Rev. Run (aka Joseph Simmons of Run-DMC) as they meet with the Girl Scouts for the first time, discover the opportunities available for giving back and encourage others to join the organization.

Viewers will have the chance to follow Vanessa and Angela online through their official Girl Scouts page- www.girlscouts.org/vanessaandangela- as they spread the word on Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Programs at Girl Scouts. The Simmons sisters, Rev Run and their mom Justine, a Girl Scout alumna, have recorded a variety of television Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and interviews for the cause.

"There is a real lack of people encouraging young ladies to be leaders," says Vanessa Simmons, on her new role at the Girl Scouts. "Promoting entrepreneurship and financial literacy is important. Girls need to be business-minded so we have more female leaders in the world." Adds Angela Simmons, "And starting now is the best thing girls can do. Selling cookies is a business and you develop those entrepreneurial skills at a young age."

"It's hard to find positive images for girls in the mainstream media," says Kathy Cloninger, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. "That's why we are proud to partner with the Simmons family. Vanessa and Angela Simmons have demonstrated what being a positive role model is all about. We hope they will encourage other young professionals to volunteer at the Girl Scouts- whether it's once a month, on weekends, or whatever your schedule allows. Our girls need role models and positive mentors like Vanessa and Angela in their lives."

About Run's House Season 4
At Run's House the laughs, drama and excitement never seem to end. Rev. Run and his wife Justine continue to manage a very bustling household and keep the lives of their 5 children as normal as possible. This season the eldest sibling Vanessa, 24, lands her first acting role on the day-time soap opera "Guiding Light" and finds that perfecting her craft is harder than she thought. Angela, 20, sets her sights on expanding her current magazine insert into a bona-fide fashion/entertainment magazine. The Simmons sisters also look into expanding their sneaker company Pastry into a lifestyle brand complete with apparel. The full season 3 of Run's House reached over 55.4 million viewers across MTV and ranked #1 in its time period among females 12-34.

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