Austin Business Community Welcomes Jackie Robinson Foundation

AUSTIN, Texas, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Jackie Robinson Foundation will introduce the city of Austin to its preeminent college scholarship and leadership development program at a breakfast event scheduled for Friday, Mar. 28, 2008, at the Four Seasons Hotel. The event, which coincides with the celebration of the Foundation's 35th anniversary and the nation's preparation to pause to commemorate the anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking baseball's color barrier, is sponsored by Texas law firm Winstead PC, accounting, tax, financial services and consulting organization Deloitte, Wachovia Bank, H-E-B, Coca-Cola, St. David's Community Health Foundation, and Triton Sports Management.

The breakfast will take place in the Four Seasons Ballroom from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at 98 San Jacinto Boulevard in Austin. As the Foundation visits one of America's key higher education centers in Austin, it does so seeking to engage the Austin corporate community in supporting its mission, so that it may expand its reach in the greater Austin area.

The Jackie Robinson Foundation was established by Rachel Robinson, wife of the baseball and civil rights luminary, in 1973 as a vehicle to perpetuate his unyielding commitment to equal opportunity. The Foundation is the nation's premiere education and leadership development program and provides four-year college scholarships to minority students with records of academic distinction, leadership capacity and financial need. The vision of the Foundation is to not only equip students with the tools to succeed in college, but to mold them into the leaders of tomorrow and to train its scholarship recipients to touch the lives of others in their communities through focused public service. JRF Scholars and Alumni are enthusiastic ambassadors of Jackie Robinson's humanitarian ideals. Since the inception of the Foundation, JRF Scholars and Alumni have significantly impacted tens of thousands of lives on their campuses, in their communities and beyond.

Attendees will include: Sharon Robinson, Jackie's daughter and Vice-Chairman of the Jackie Robinson Foundation; Della Britton Baeza, President and CEO of the Foundation; former Heisman Trophy winners Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, and John David Crow; legendary University of Texas quarterback James Street; and Reid and Reese Ryan, executives with the Round Rock Express and Corpus Christi Hooks baseball teams.

Also attending the event will be former Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar Nakia Davis, a 1996 graduate of Vanderbilt University, who holds an MBA from the University of New Orleans and a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans. Davis is currently an associate with the law firm Beck Redden & Secrest. A former professional golfer, she also volunteers with the Tiger Woods Foundation Golf Clinics and as a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston. Davis continues to be closely involved with the Jackie Robinson Foundation through her service as co-chair of the Southwest Regional Selection Committee, one of eight groups comprised of business, civic and education leaders, charged with reviewing and admitting applicants to the Foundation's program.

"I am heartened by the tremendous response we have received from the Austin corporate community," says Della Britton Baeza, Jackie Robinson Foundation President and CEO. "Investments from the Austin community will fuel our mission of expanding access to higher education and creating leaders who are ambassadors of Jackie Robinson's legacy."

Since its inception, the Foundation has provided more than 1,200 scholarships to students who have achieved a nearly 100% graduation rate -- more than twice the national average for minority students. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars go on to become part of a dynamic Jackie Robinson Foundation Alumni Association, whose ranks include the first African American golfer to compete in the Ivy League, a managing partner at Goldman Sachs and scores of teachers, doctors, lawyers and other professionals carrying Jackie's torch and ensuring that his legacy continues to serve as an inspiration for generations to come.

For more information about the Foundation, please visit, http://www.jackierobinson.org/.

Winstead is among the largest business law firms in Texas, representing major companies regionally and nationally in the real estate, financial services and technology industries. Winstead attorneys and consultants serve as trusted advisors to mid-market and large businesses, providing a core range of legal services that are critical to their operation and success. From its broad corporate practice to high-stakes litigation and appellate matters, Winstead has the power to perform for your business. Winstead has offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and The Woodlands, Texas; and Washington, D.C. For detailed information about Winstead, visit http://www.winstead.com/.

About Deloitte

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see http://www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.

About Wachovia

Wachovia Corporation is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services companies, with assets of $782.9 billion and market capitalization of $75.3 billion at December 31, 2007. Wachovia provides a broad range of retail banking and brokerage, asset and wealth management, and corporate and investment banking products and services to customers through 3,400 retail financial centers in 21 states from Connecticut to Florida and west to Texas and California, and nationwide retail brokerage, mortgage lending and auto finance businesses. Globally, clients are served in selected corporate and institutional sectors and through more than 40 international offices. Our retail brokerage operations under the Wachovia Securities brand name manage more than $1.2 trillion in client assets through 14,600 financial advisors in 1,500 offices nationwide. Online banking is available at wachovia.com; online brokerage products and services at wachoviasec.com; and investment products and services at evergreeninvestments.com.

St. David's Community Health Foundation works to increase the quality of health and health care for all Central Texans by investing millions of dollars each year into care for the uninsured in St. David's hospitals, grants and programs for primary and mental health care and oral health care, and programs serving the elderly. The Foundation's W. Neal Kocurek/St. David's Scholarship program provides tuition assistance for Central Texas students pursuing health-care studies in Texas colleges and universities.

About Triton Financial

Triton Financial provides high net worth individuals access to direct equity investments with high growth potential through the Triton Group of Companies. Triton offers a comprehensive mix of value-added investment vehicles including real estate, land development, automotive and venture capital. A tight connection with capital markets gives Triton the flexibility to utilize capital more efficiently, recognize opportunities faster and generate return with significantly lower expenditures. Triton leverages access to a growing network of investment professionals and industry leaders to pursue prime acquisition targets on behalf of its investor base. Triton is a privately held investment firm headquartered in Austin. To learn more go to http://www.tritonfinancial.com/.