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Express Personnel Pledges Endowment to Create $2 Million Program with Children's Medical Research Institute of Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (December 22, 2006) - As the year comes to an end and Christmas quickly approaches, the spirit of giving at Express Personnel is solidified for generations to come with the establishment of the CMRI Express Personnel Services Emergency Medicine Chair in Pediatrics. This endowment agreement includes a $500,000 gift from Express Personnel Services that CMRI will match with another $500,000. This $1 million gift will then be eligible for matching funds from the State Regents Endowment Program to create a $2 million endowment for the emergency medicine chair in pediatrics at the OU Health Sciences Center.

Bob Funk, CEO of Express Personnel Services, realized first-hand the importance of emergency medical care after his daughter went into cardiac arrest in 1990. His commitment to helping children in need has continued ever since. Express Personnel Services has always had a strong corporate culture of social responsibility. In 1991, Express became a national sponsor with Children's Miracle Network and since then has contributed over $3 million nationwide to children all across America. "We are so excited to be able to make this commitment to Oklahoma's children. It is a dream come true for all of us at Express Personnel Services to create this chair. It is with great pride that we are able to give back to the community to ensure healthier children for all of our futures," Funk said.

Express has over 550 franchisee offices nationwide that have raised funds through golf events, walkathons, auctions, selling Miracle Balloons and encouraging associates to contribute by deducting small contributions from their weekly paychecks.

The creation of this chair will significantly advance emergency care for the children of Oklahoma as well as provide CMRI the opportunity to attract yet another leading pediatric physician-scientist-educator to our state. In addition to attracting exceptional emergency physician-educators to Oklahoma, the chair will develop a pediatric fellowship for residents who want subspecialty training in pediatric emergency medicine. This new chair will improve both emergency care and help educate future emergency physicians.

Children who visit the emergency room or urgent care facility of Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center need specialized care. Children are physically, psychologically, and physiologically different from adults. Emergency care providers must be trained, not only to recognize the different ways that children's bodies respond to traumatic injury and illness, but also to communicate and comfort these children effectively. Children are also smaller than adults; their equipment needs to be sized accordingly and therefore the need for specialized pediatric emergency care is crucial to our youngest citizens.

In the past 5 years the number of children seeking care at the Children's Hospital has increased from 15,000 annual visits to over 20,000 visits and continues to increase. In addition to caring for these children, pediatric emergency medicine physicians also teach the future pediatricians of Oklahoma how to care for children in an emergency situation. "Pediatric Emergency Medicine is its own highly specialized area of medicine. We are very fortunate to have such a program for the children of Oklahoma, and we are particularly fortunate to have the support of Bob Funk and Express Personnel on behalf of these children," said Dr. Terrence Stull, CMRI Patricia Price Browne Distinguished Chair in Pediatrics.

CMRI is a private, nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization founded in 1983 to provide advocacy, support and resources for pediatric care, research and education. CMRI's unique model has created 22 endowed chairs, visiting professorships and research programs. After completion of the cancer and diabetes programs CMRI will have provided over $50 million in endowments, scholarships, research grants, equipment and program support for the state of Oklahoma.

CMRI is the only organization of its kind in the United States that raises funds in such a way as to leverage matching dollars from government and private resources for pediatric research, care, and support. Every dollar we raise stays in Oklahoma to benefit the children of Oklahoma.

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Children's Medical Research Institute, supported by a volunteer board, is the only nonprofit organization in the state of Oklahoma to provide private support exclusively for pediatric research and education. Founded in 1983, CMRI's hallmark is that 100 percent of funds raised stay in Oklahoma. Through endowed programs and direct support, the institute is able to recruit leading pediatric physician-scientists to direct research initiatives, provide excellence in patient care and train future pediatricians. For more information, visit www.cmri.net.

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