Top Minority College Students Visit St. Louis to Be Honored

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine scholars from colleges and universities around the country will converge in St. Louis this weekend, to be honored for their achievements and meet with local CEOs.

The students are among 67 new scholarship recipients of the Jackie Robinson Foundation ( http://www.jackierobinson.org/ ), a not-for-profit organization that grants four-year scholarships to students of color with records of academic distinction, civic engagement and strong leadership capabilities. The Jackie Robinson Foundation was founded in 1973 by Rachel Robinson, wife of baseball legend Jackie Robinson (1919-1972).

Visiting scholars will attend an awards ceremony at which Mrs. Robinson will be recognized for her outstanding work in education. They also will spend time with CEOs of St. Louis-based companies at a luncheon on September 23, co-sponsored by Brown Shoe and the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative.

"The Jackie Robinson Foundation's work in raising college funds for students of color complements our initiative to attract more diverse employees to Brown Shoe," said Ron Fromm, Brown Shoe's Chairman and CEO. "It is also important for St. Louis, because as companies like ours support these students, it helps bring the best and brightest to our region."

Brown Shoe is funding the students' stay in St. Louis and will host the scholars at its Clayton office, connecting them with key executives. The company is partnering with Jackie Robinson Foundation to help underwrite tuition for Fred Shelton III, a John Burroughs High School graduate from Florissant, Mo. Shelton recently began his freshman year at Atlanta's Morehouse College, majoring in business administration.

"The Jackie Robinson Foundation sends between 50 and 70 talented individuals each year to the college or university of their choice, and provides them with ongoing leadership development and career counseling," said President and CEO Della Britton Baeza. "Through the generosity of companies like Brown Shoe and more than 400 others that provide financial support, internships and mentoring, these students benefit from opportunities that would be otherwise unattainable."

Jackie Robinson Foundation, founded in 1973 by Rachel Robinson, provides four-year scholarships and leadership development training to talented students of color. This academic year, the Foundation is awarding more than $1.4 million in scholarship support to 275 Jackie Robinson Scholars attending 96 colleges and universities across the nation. For additional information on the Jackie Robinson Foundation, please visit http://www.jackierobinson.org/ .

Brown Shoe is a $2.3 billion footwear company with worldwide operations. Headquartered in St. Louis, Brown Shoe operates the 900+ store Famous Footwear chain, which sells brand name shoes for the family. It also operates 350+ Naturalizer stores in the U.S. and Canada that sell the Naturalizer brand of shoes and accessories, 16 FX LaSalle stores in Canada, and 8 Via Spiga stores that sell Via Spiga shoes and apparel. Brown Shoe, through its Wholesale divisions, owns and markets leading footwear brands including Naturalizer, LifeStride, Via Spiga, Nickels Soft, Connie and Buster Brown; it also markets licensed brands including Franco Sarto, Dr. Scholl's, Etienne Aigner, Bass and Carlos by Carlos Santana for adults, and Barbie, Bob- the-Builder and Disney character footwear for children. Brown Shoe press releases are available on the Company's web site at http://www.brownshoe.com/ .

St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative is a collaborative effort to help companies and firms in the St. Louis region be better positioned to attract and retain a talented, diverse workforce and develop a diverse supplier base. The sponsors of this Initiative are the Civic Progress, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), the St. Louis Minority Business Council, the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, FOCUS St. Louis, and the Regional Business Council.