Coldwell Banker(R) Asks America's Children: What Makes Your House a Home?

Coldwell Banker(R) Asks America's Children: What Makes Your House a Home?

Nationwide Contest Will Ask Kids to Define What is Special About Their Homes

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. A man's home is his castle. People are usually happiest at home.

We have all heard these maxims so many times, but do we ever really stop to think about what they mean, about what makes a house a home? To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Coldwell Banker(R) brand, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation is asking kids across the country just that: What makes your house a home?

In conjunction with Scholastic Custom Media, the Coldwell Banker "My Home: The American Dream Contest" asks students in grades K-8 to explain, through images or words, how they make their houses homes; for example, enjoying family togetherness, enhancing their learning or creating their own special sanctuaries. Entries may be submitted in the form of a short film on DVD or VHS; a storyboard, comic book or series of photographs with text; or an essay accompanied by illustrations.

Teachers and students will be encouraged to participate in the contest through advertisements in Scholastic Custom Media's Instructor and After School magazines.

"For so many people, owning a home means they truly have achieved the American dream," says Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation. "That home then becomes the cornerstone of family life and helps contribute to the stability and growth of a family. In fact, when the Coldwell Banker organization was founded shortly after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, our mission was to help rebuild the city and get people who were devastated by the tragedy back on their feet.

"With this contest, we really wanted to inspire children to think about what makes their house a home, and what it means for a family to own its own home. Whether it is a place for their family to come together or a house that has been handed down through the generations, we want to hear directly from kids about what makes their homes special. We are hoping that the feedback from the children will give us the most honest, wholesome insight into the home's place in the American family. And we certainly are looking forward to serving these children through our next 100 years as they become the future generation of homebuyers," Gillespie continues.

Three grand prize-winning students will receive $2,000 cash prizes awarded for excellence in creativity and innovation. Thirty finalists, 10 in each age category, will be awarded $100 prizes. Teachers of the grand prize-winning students each will receive a new digital camera for their classrooms. All entries must be postmarked by Dec. 1, 2005.

"We are honored to work with Coldwell Banker(R) on a contest that challenges children to test the limits of their creativity," says Dick Robinson, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Scholastic. "Through one exercise, children will be developing real world skills in organization, critical thinking, writing, creativity and multimedia presentation. This is also an excellent project for educators to help students express themselves by combining visuals with language. We can't wait to see the results."

Full contest details will be published in the September issue of Instructor, the October issue of After School, and on http://www.scholastic.com/instructor and http://www.coldwellbanker.com/AmericanDream beginning Sept. 1. The contest is open to residents of the United States who currently attend grades K-8, as well as children in those age ranges who are home schooled.

About Coldwell Banker(R)

Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker(R) organization has been a premier provider of full-service real estate. In 2004, Franchise Times magazine's prestigious Top 200 issue ranked Coldwell Banker number one in real estate and number eight among all franchisors. Additionally, the Coldwell Banker organization received the "Highest Overall Satisfaction For Repeat Home Buyers Among National Full Service Real Estate Firms" from the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study(SM). The study was based on responses from 4,977 home buyers and sellers. The study was conducted for Cendant Corporation by J.D. Power and Associates. The Coldwell Banker system has more than 3,900 residential and commercial real estate offices and 125,000 Sales Associates in 28 countries and territories. The Coldwell Banker system is a leader in the industry in residential real estate, and in niche markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International(R) marketing program. It is a pioneer in consumer services with its Coldwell Banker Concierge(R) Service Program and award-winning Web site, http://www.coldwellbanker.com/. Coldwell Banker Mortgage is one of the largest telephone/web based lenders in the country and the Coldwell Banker Commercial(R) network is an industry leader in providing commercial real estate solutions that serve the needs of tenants, landlords, sellers and buyers in the leasing, acquisition, disposition and management of all property types. Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE:CD). (C) 2005 Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation Coldwell Banker(R) is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation. Each office is independently owned and operated except for offices owned and operated by NRT Incorporated.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ:SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school- based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, http://www.scholastic.com/.

Source: Cendant Corporation

CONTACT: David Siroty of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation,
+1-973-496-7199, David.Siroty@cendant.com; or Catherine Sullivan of Publicis
Dialog for Cendant Corporation, +1-212-279-6345,
Catherine.Sullivan@publicis-usa.com

Web site: http://www.coldwellbanker.com/
http://www.coldwellbanker.com/AmericanDream
http://www.scholastic.com/

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