Hallmark Releases Citizenship Report

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 22, 2009) — Good corporate citizenship is part of Hallmark’s culture, and a new web-based report shares that story more broadly.

Hallmark’s newly released Citizenship Report 2008 at www.hallmarkcitizenship.com offers an overview of the company’s progress in community involvement, workplace atmosphere, environmental responsibility, and supplier sourcing efforts. The work is nothing new, but compiling and sharing the results is a first for the privately held company.

"We have a long history of applying our creative and business expertise to help solve community issues," says Hallmark Corporate Foundation Vice President Carol Hallquist, who leads the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Council. "It’s a philosophy that is woven into the fabric of our daily approach to work.

"Increasingly today, employees, retail partners and consumers want to know more about how corporations’ beliefs and values are executed in their business practices. This report is our first step in sharing our story and the progress we continue to make," she says.

Topics covered in the report center on workplace, supplier partnerships, environment and community involvement. Each section offers an overview with key metrics, as well as several individual stories to illustrate examples.

About Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Kansas City-based Hallmark has been helping people communicate, celebrate and connect for nearly 100 years. Hallmark greeting cards and other products can be found in more than 41,500 places in the U.S. alone, with the network of Hallmark Gold Crown® stores providing the very best selection. The Hallmark brand also reaches consumers online at Hallmark.com and on television through Hallmark Hall of Fame original movies and the top-rated Hallmark Channel. In addition, Hallmark publishes products in more than 30 languages and distributes them in 100 countries across the globe. The company’s Crayola subsidiary provides fun and imaginative ways for children to colorfully express themselves. In 2008, privately held Hallmark reported consolidated net revenues of $4.3 billion. For more information about the company, visit http://corporate.hallmark.com.