SAINT PAUL, Minn., May 30 /PRNewswire/ --

Eight community leaders have received a total of $251,027 in grants through The St. Paul Companies' (NYSE: SPC) Leadership Initiatives in Neighborhoods (LIN) program. The recipients will be recognized on May 30th at the 15th annual LIN luncheon at The St. Paul's corporate headquarters in Saint Paul.

Designed to help develop the leadership potential of community artists and activists, the LIN program funds a year-long plan of self-directed work, reflection and dialogue for each recipient. Every plan involves intensive learning -- through research, reading, travel, work with mentors or a combination of methods. Recipients will use this new knowledge to make a difference in their communities.

"The LIN program was created as a way for The St. Paul to invest in leaders who are making significant contributions in their communities," said Mary Pickard, Vice President of Community Affairs at The St. Paul Companies. "LIN recipients are visionary leaders who bring passion and commitment to their work. Each year, we marvel at their personal and professional growth, and what an enormous impact they make in our neighborhoods and communities."

In 15 years of the LIN program, 174 people have received grants totaling nearly $4.3 million. The one-year grants for 2001 were awarded to the following community members:

• Gwen Chandler-Rhivers, Director of Housing and Support Services for the YWCA of St. Paul, will enhance her skills in restorative justice, public speaking, group facilitation, and grassroots organization.

• Wing Young Huie, critically acclaimed photographer, will study public art by interacting with public artists around the country to learn new photography techniques and new ways to work in communities.

• Keith Lowmaster, employment development counselor for American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center, will observe and participate in Native American leadership training programs in Minnesota and throughout the country.

• Karon Sherarts, art educator, consultant, and author, will explore ways to use media arts, such as photography, to bring people together and bridge multiple generations.

• Gabrielle Strong, Executive Director for the Ain Dah Yung (Our Home) Center, is an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux tribe, and will spend her LIN year connecting to her heritage by becoming fluent in the Dakota language.

• Lee Vang, playwright and Executive Director for the Center for Hmong Arts & Talent (CHAT), will explore the craft of screenwriting, while developing a style of writing that is rooted in a distinctly Hmong tradition and aesthetic way of storytelling.

• James Williams, actor and arts educator, will explore community-based theater groups that train at-risk youth and help build their confidence.

• Cynthia Nou Yongvang, Executive Director for the Women's International Self-Reliance Enterprise, will build an international network of disabled women activists and organizations, research innovative programs that serve disabled women, and observe various leadership styles.

For more information about LIN and the 2001 grant recipients, visit the company's web site, http://www.stpaul.com

The St. Paul Companies is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minn., USA, and provides commercial property-liability insurance and non-life reinsurance worldwide. The St. Paul reported 2000 revenue of more than $8.6 billion, total assets of $41 billion, and is ranked No. 222 on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. companies. For more information about The St. Paul and its products and services, visit the company's web site, http://www.stpaul.com

SOURCE St. Paul Companies

CONTACT: M. Andrea Wood for St. Paul Companies, 651-310-6440, Andrea.Wood@stpaul.com /