FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRINCETON REVIEW SELECTS YMCAs AMONG "BEST ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS" FOR COLLEGE GRADS

"It really is fun to stay at the YMCA," authors reveal

CHICAGO, May 27, 2004 - America's YMCAs rank among the top organizations and companies in the United States. for college grads to launch their careers, according to The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company ranks America's Ys among the 66 great places to work, in its recently-published book, Best Entry-Level Jobs (Random House / Princeton Review Books, April 2004).

The YMCAs seek candidates "with a passion for positively influencing the lives of others," the book reveals, as well as, "a commitment to the mission of the YMCA, the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, a strong sense of customer service, a commitment to applying ethics and values in the workplace, and technical skills in a specific program area of not-for-profit administrative application."

The book, co-authored by Wall Street Journal reporter Ron Lieber and writer and editor Tom Meltzer, is based on hundreds of candid interviews of recent grads and young professionals about their actual experiences at entry-level jobs, and of company HR officers and managers.

Interviews with recent college grads in their first jobs at YMCAs found many "clearly satisfied" with their jobs and confirmed, the authors say, that "it really is fun to stay at the YMCA." Many new YMCA staffers said in interviews that "they regard their co-workers as 'some of the greatest people [they've] met so far in [their] lives.'"

In researching the book, authors interviewed Laura M. Fortson, senior staff human resources consultant at Chicago-based YMCA of the USA, and Paul Katz, director of YMCA relations at Springfield College, Mass. "It is not unusual," the book notes, "to have staff members with more than twenty years of professional experience in the YMCA movement," performing work that is "demanding, requiring a desire to build strong kids, families and communities."

The book's 66 profiles of the top companies and organizations cover: entry-level positions, salaries, hiring policies, advancement potential, and contact information.

Authors Lieber and Meltzer say they chose the YMCAs and other organizations and companies because "we wanted to find places where people were happy, engaged with their work, nicely compensated, well positioned for advancement, getting great preparation for graduate school, doing really interesting stuff, or any combination of these things."

Best Entry-Level Jobs is one of more than 200 books developed by The Princeton Review in a line published by Random House Inc. Known for its books, test-prep courses, Web site, and other education services, The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University or ETS.

YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for America's 2,540 YMCAs. Collectively, YMCAs are the nation's largest not-for-profit community service organization and largest provider of child care, serving 18.9 million people of all faiths, races, ages and incomes, including 9.3 million children. YMCAs offer a broad range of programs including youth leadership and volunteerism. Financial assistance is available. To learn more, visit www.ymca.net.