It's the care and involvement of these employees that helped Kimberly-Clark win the Community Investment Summit Award from United Way of America for exhibiting exceptional performance in engaging and educating employees in support of United Way and local communities. The award recognizes the creative grassroots approach the company and its employees take in fundraising, including such activities as teddy bear drives, pumpkin-decorating contests and volunteer days.

“Kimberly-Clark employees are driven by a strong sense of caring and community," said Tom Falk, Chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. "Year after year, I continue to be impressed with the level of support and outreach they give to United Way campaigns in our hometowns."

In most Kimberly-Clark hometowns, Kimberly-Clark is either the largest, or among the largest, corporate contributors to the United Way -- making the relationship employees have with their communities that much more special.

Jeannie Ryan's story in Conway, Ark. demonstrates the symbiotic nature of Kimberly-Clark and United Way. Jeannie, a facility labor scheduler, has been a loyal United Way contributor for many years. Then, in 1992, Jeannie became a United Way client. She lost everything when her home burned down. The Community Action Program for Central Arkansas (CAPCA), a partner agency of the United Way of Central Arkansas, came to her rescue with shelter, food, clothing and bedding with more support following by another partner agency, the American Red Cross.

"The evening of the fire, the CAPCA already had short-term shelter arranged for us. And when it came time to find more permanent shelter, the American Red Cross donated $250 for a down payment," said Ryan. "I'm a huge supporter of the United Way in Conway since I saw first hand the kindness and support for families going through crises."

This year, in Conway, Ark., the mill was recognized as the “United Way Corporate Partner of the Year” by the United Way of Central Arkansas. Additional examples of recognition for Kimberly-Clark’s local United Way campaigns include:

• Neenah, Wisc., facility named “Campaign of the Year” for large employers by Fox Valley United Way
• Jenks, Okla. mill received the “Gold Award” from its local United Way
• World Headquarters in Dallas, Tex., received several awards from the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, including Pacesetter of the Year, Highest Employee Per Capita Giving, Highest Corporate Per Capita Giving, Outstanding Growth Award and Spirit of Caring (their highest award)

The 2008 Kimberly-Clark United Way campaign officially kicks off this summer, when all U.S. facilities will receive custom designed Kimberly-Clark/United Way campaign materials from the World Headquarters in Dallas.