Contact: Qorvis Communications
Carrie Blewitt (703) 744-7816

Health Gurus Jenny and Sid Craig Honored by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans
Seven California High School Scholars also recognized during 60th Anniversary Celebration

Washington, DC – (February 27, 2007) – The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans announced that Jenny and Sid Craig, co-founders of Jenny Craig International, will be presented with the Horatio Alger Award and inducted as lifetime members of the Association at its 60th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C. in April.

The Association is equally proud to announce seven student scholars from California will join the Craigs in Washington this spring and will be honored as Horatio Alger National Scholars. Horatio Alger scholarship recipients are students who have excelled in education and have overcome adversity. This year’s scholarship recipients from California include: Jessica T. Acosta from San Rafael, Zhanette H. Coffee from Farmersville, David Feeney from Cypress, Marty L. Fontes Morales from Taft, Angela S. Holcomb from Inglewood, Lucila Osuna from San Clemente, and Kintu R. Thomas from Ukiah.

"The 60th anniversary is a time to reflect on six decades of exceptional American achievements, and we look forward to celebrating the successes of the outstanding individuals who will be inducted as Members, and the National Scholars who represent our nation’s most ambitious youth," said Horatio Alger Association President and CEO and ARAMARK Corporation Chairman and CEO, Joseph Neubauer.

The 60th Annual Horatio Alger Awards events will take place in Washington, D.C. on April 12-14, 2007 to honor and induct the Horatio Alger Award recipients. During the events, the Horatio Alger Award winners will meet with 105 high school seniors from around the nation who were selected to receive Horatio Alger National Scholarships, each valued at $20,000. The total amount of college scholarships awarded is more than $12 million annually – an Association milestone.

The events provide an opportunity for some of the nation’s most impressive and determined young people to learn firsthand about the philosophies and experiences that helped the 2007 Horatio Alger Award recipients surmount significant obstacles to achieve successful lives.

The other new members being inducted in April are Craig R. Barrett, chairman of the board for Intel Corporation; Thomas “Tom” J. Brokaw, former anchor and managing editor of the NBC Nightly News; Craig Hall, chairman and founder of Hall Financial Group; Clarence Otis, Jr., chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants; Richard M. Rosenberg, chairman and CEO of Bank of America (retired); David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and managing director of The Carlyle Group; Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company; Roger T. Staubach, former Dallas Cowboy and chairman and CEO of The Staubach Company; and Chris Thomas Sullivan, founder and chairman of OSI Restaurant Partners, Inc.

In preparation for the spring awards, Jenny Craig recently had a few words of advice for the high school recipients of the Horatio Alger Scholarship. She said: “Decide what it is that you love to do and go after it. Don't be afraid to dream big. Remember, it's better to aim for the moon and hit a star than it is to aim for a tree and hit a rock. So don't be afraid to dream big, make the commitment to work hard and achieve it.”

Sid, her husband had this to say to the students: “You can be anything you want to be, if you want it bad enough. All you have to do is to set your goals; they're achievable. Plan each time you achieve that goal; go for the next one. Goals don’t have to involve money alone. Your goal could be to be a great father, a great teacher, musician or something else.”

Genevieve (Jenny) Guidroz was the youngest of six children in Depression-era New Orleans. Her father was a Louisiana boat captain who worked extra jobs to support the family. Her mother, who was a homemaker and wonderful cook, passed away after suffering a stroke at age 49. Additionally, eight out of the nine children in her mother’s family died of weight-related complications before their 50th birthday. Her family’s health greatly influenced Jenny and she soon developed a keen interest in exercise, nutrition and overall health.

Sid Craig was born in British Columbia but grew up in Southern California. He worked his way through Fresno State College by teaching lessons at Arthur Murray Dance Studios; after a stint in the U.S. Navy, he purchased five Arthur Murray franchises. He sold these in 1970 and purchased half interest in Body Contour, a company that operated exercise centers.

Through this business, Sid met Jenny Guidroz Bourcq, who owned her own gym before becoming Body Contour’s national director of operations. After nine years of working together, they married.

Body Contour was sold in 1982. With an interest in providing nutritional training as well as exercise, the two moved to Australia to test the Jenny Craig program, which included nutritional guidance, prepackaged food, exercise and behavior modification. They sold the company in 2002. In those 20 years, the company grew into one of the world’s largest weight-management companies, with 800 centers in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Jenny and Sid support numerous charities, including the San Diego Hospice, Easter Seals and the Susan G. Komen Brest Cancer Foundation. They have also donated or committed $10 million each to the Fresno State University School of Business and Administration (which was renamed the Sid Craig School of Business) and the University of San Diego (which built the Jenny Craig Pavilion sports complex).

About The Horatio Alger Association
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. Among the Association’s 300 members are well-known Americans including the noted poet Maya Angelou, author and broadcaster Lou Dobbs, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and television personality Oprah Winfrey.

The Horatio Alger Association offers three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program for high school seniors, various state scholarship programs and the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship Program for U.S. veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Award winners receive financial aid counseling and internship placement assistance.

For more information about the scholarships or to find out more about the 2007 Washington events, please call (703) 684-9444 or visit www.horatioalger.org.

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