ACN Donation Sets Stage for RMH Construction: Groundbreaking Will Take Place Early 2010

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Nov. 24, 2009—After considerable planning, outreach and support, the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) of Charlotte has taken a huge step towards becoming a reality.

Concord-based telecommunications powerhouse ACN has stepped up and made a donation of $1.3 million, providing substantial progress towards the RMH of Charlotte’s funding goals and allowing the charity to keep pace with its primary construction targets. The announcement was made today by Mona Johnson-Gibson, RMH of Charlotte’s Executive Director.

“We’ve been so close to this goal and now our dream of a House being built on that site will finally come true,” Johnson-Gibson said. “I can’t believe all the support that ACN has given us. They have been extremely generous and are all wonderful people. We can’t begin to thank them enough.”

With ACN’s generous donation, the RMH of Charlotte is now expected to break ground on the 1600 block of East Morehead Street in early 2010. The one-acre parcel of land, donated by Carolinas Medical Center, currently contains two residences that will be demolished to enable the start of construction.

Fund-raising for the RMH of Charlotte will continue by raising money to meet secondary building targets as well as to provide support for initial operations and to help maintain the House.

ACN, the largest direct seller of telecommunications and home services in the world, began working exclusively with the Ronald McDonald House Charities last year raising funds at each of its global events.

“ACN has been a huge supporter of the Ronald McDonald House around the country and it’s only appropriate that we support the House right in our back yard,” said Greg Provenzano, ACN President and Co-Founder. “We’re honored that we were able to step up and help this charity reach their goal. We are looking forward to the groundbreaking and to when the House finally opens its doors next year.”

During the summer, ACN announced the RMH of Charlotte would be the official charity of its International Training Event held at both Time Warner Cable Arena and Bojangles’ Coliseum. Following the event, the company and its independent representatives made a donation of $124,870 to the RMH of Charlotte. Even Donald Trump, who was the event’s guest speaker, donated $10,000. Having recently consolidated all U.S. operations to Concord, N.C., ACN opened its new state-of-the-art World Headquarters on June 25, 2009. During the training event, the company collected contributions from thousands of generous ACN representatives and employees. ACN then matched these contributions dollar for dollar.

About ACN

Uniting together in 1993, the entrepreneurial team of Greg Provenzano, Robert Stevanovski, Mike Cupisz and Tony Cupisz launched a single-product enterprise that would quickly become the largest direct seller of telecommunications and home services in the world. Today, ACN provides customers with a full-scale Product Portfolio including IRIS 3000 Video Phone, Digital Phone Service, Wireless, Local/Long Distance and Internet, Home Security and Satellite TV. ACN is on the forefront of technology with Digital Phone Service and Video Phone, which allows users to see the person they’re talking to – in real time. With this revolutionary product, ACN is changing the face of communication. ACN operates in 20 countries with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.myacn.com.

About the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte

Currently, Charlotte is the only major U.S. city that does not have a RMH. The RMH of Charlotte is scheduled to open in late 2010 and will serve the families of children being treated at Levine Children’s Hospital and Hemby Children’s Hospital. Located on the 1600 block of East Morehead Street on land donated by Carolinas Medical Center, the House will feature approximately 35,000 square feet of living space complete with 28 bedrooms (one family per bedroom/suite), providing more than 10,000 nights for the families. It is also scheduled to have a community kitchen, great room, learning center, playground and sitting porch. Construction will begin in early 2010. The RMH of Charlotte is an independent 501 (c) (3) charity managed by a local board of directors which will oversee construction and operation of the home. The cost of building and operating the RMH of Charlotte will come primarily from individual and corporate donations. The RMH of Charlotte will be funded, constructed and operated by the Charlotte community. The mission of the RMH of Charlotte is to provide the families of children being treated in area medical facilities with a safe, affordable and caring “home away from home.” For more information on RMH of Charlotte, visit www.rmhofcharlotte.org.