Chrysler Group To Help Latino Elected Officials Better Serve Their Communities

* 150 Latino elected officials will be trained over the next two years

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 17 -- The DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, together with the California Latino Legislative Caucus Institute for Public Policy (CLLCIPP), has created a leadership training school for newly-elected Hispanic officials in California. The DaimlerChrysler Elected Official Academy Program is a two-year partnership that will include courses on public finance, ethics and funding to help make the transition to political office easier for new officials.

"We believe in being a 'Good Neighbor' and helping to enhance opportunities among the Latino community, the nation's largest and fastest growing minority group," said Frank Fountain, Chrysler Group Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and President of the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund. "After winning an office, the learning curve can be very steep. The training courses of the academy will help newly-elected Latino officials provide the best possible service to the communities they serve."

The DaimlerChrysler Elected Official Academy Program will train 50 people over a two-day session starting in November and with sessions in June and November 2004. A total of 150 new officials will participate in the program. Additional subject matters include parliamentary procedures, policy analysis and infrastructure development. The Elected Official Academy Program also will link with neighboring colleges and universities to include some college credit.

Chrysler Group's "Good Neighbor" initiatives in the Hispanic community extend beyond the Elected Official Academy Program. Last month, Chrysler Group announced the distribution of the Hispanic Scholarship Guide in California. The guide is a free directory that lists hundreds of avenues for Hispanic students to finance a college education, including scholarships, financial aid, loans and grants. The directories are available via select Chrysler Group dealerships or by calling the toll-free number, 1-877-POR-BECA.

The Company also entered into a partnership with Los Angeles-based TELACU (The East LA Community Union) in a program called "Manejando el Futuro" (Driving the Future) that encompasses three areas related to financial self- sufficiency for California Latinos: college financial aid, financial planning, and small business economic development.

The California Latino Legislative Caucus Institute for Public Policy (CLLCIPP) was founded in 2002 as a non-partisan effort by the California Latino Legislative Caucus to serve as a broad-based public policy, educational and leadership development organization.

Now in its 50th year, the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund is the primary source of charitable grants made by DaimlerChrysler Corporation. The Fund annually supports hundreds of charitable organizations -- with a focus on education, arts, and community development -- throughout the United States and increasingly throughout the world.

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