Evonik Degussa Corporation Donates $1,000 To Assist ‘At Risk’ Youth  

Funds To Be Used To Develop Educational Program Providing Positive Role Models 

  

MOBILE, Ala., March 5, 2008 – Evonik Degussa Corporation (EDC), one of the largest employers in the Mobile area, has contributed $1,000 to the Mobile Arts Council which hopes to develop positive life skills for juvenile offenders through the arts.

Bob Burnett, Executive Director of the Mobile Arts Council, said the program -- ChARTing New Directions -- targets at risk youth and is aimed at prevention as well as rehabilitation.

“The objective of this program is not to develop artists,” Burnett said, “but to use the creative process as a tool for positive personal development. The program would use the creative process to provide young people in the system the opportunity to develop positive life skills.” 

He added that the Council is extremely grateful to EDC for its continuing financial support.

“We know that we can always count on Evonik Degussa Corporation for support,” said Burnett. “With its generous donation, Evonik Degussa is not only shaping the lives of individual people, but shaping and defining the future of our community.”  

Burnett added that a pilot program utilizing the visual arts to work with young people serving probation was very successful last summer and involved a local professional artist and teacher who worked with three young men. “It is impossible to put into words what changes were observed in one young man,” said Burnett. “His self image and self confidence were significantly improved.”  

Dr. Joerg Kemnade, vice president, Process Technology & Engineering at EDC, said helping today’s youth as well as the community has always been a primarily goal of Evonik.  

“We strongly feel that today’s young people who are at risk should have a positive interaction with professionals from the arts, such as dancers, musicians, painters and so forth,” Kemnade explained. “It’s said that art can be a catalyst for social change, which is why we are a strong supporter of this program.”  

With approximately 700 workers, the Evonik Mobile site is one of the area’s largest employers. This site manufactures a wide range of products that create the essentials necessary to enjoy a better standard of living today and tomorrow.  

Company information
Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany which operates in three business areas: Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate. Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals, an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Our strengths are creativity, specialization, continuous self-renewal, and reliability. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In its fiscal year 2006 more than 43,000 employees generated sales of about Euro 14.8 billion and an operating profit (EBIT) of over Euro 1.2 billion.

Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.