BUILD Announces National Awards for Teen Entrepreneurship; East Palo Alto Teen and Teacher To Be Honored at 11th Annual NFTE Awards Dinner.

News Editors/Education Writers

EAST PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2004

BUILD, a nonprofit organization that teaches low income youth how to start their own businesses, announced today that both a teacher and student were selected as recipients of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) "Youth Entrepreneur of the Year" and "Certified Entrepreneurship Teacher of the Year" awards.

Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, BUILD CEO and President stated, "I am thrilled to learn that BUILD was honored with not one, but two national awards in the same year. This is a testament to the power of entrepreneurship that is alive and well in our community."

Jahvita Rastafari, a 16-year-old East Palo resident, was one of two students in the State of California selected for the award. Her business, Tru2it Entertainment, is a record label that enables urban youth to explore their musical talent in a safe and positive environment. A social entrepreneur and a sophomore at Menlo-Atherton High School, Rastafari is focused on positively impacting her community, and seeks to foster music that "represents the community's great talent and illustrates that many youth are contributing in positive ways."

Bret Sweet, an accomplished teacher who has taught the NFTE curriculum to youth throughout the Bay Area, will be among 15 teachers from across the United States honored for their commitment to increasing education and economic opportunities for low-income youth.

Before joining BUILD as an Entrepreneurship Teacher and teaching at both Menlo-Atherton and East Palo Alto High Schools, Sweet taught the NFTE curriculum for the Merrill Lynch Academy program held at Southeast City College, and at Log Cabin Ranch. An entrepreneur himself, with a business background that ranges from artist development and promotion for Polygram Group Distribution to running his own independent web based record label, Bret brings a unique perspective to the classroom.

Upon winning the award, Sweet noted, "I am deeply honored to be selected as the Teacher of the Year by NFTE, an organization that operates at the intersection of business and education. I see this award as another opportunity to celebrate the culture we strive to nurture at BUILD -- developing oneself while being yourself."

In announcing the teacher awards, NFTE founder Steve Mariotti noted, "This is one of the top awards an educator can win. Our winners are not only top in the education field but also world class in their social commitment, creativity and talent in teaching entrepreneurship. These teachers are representative of the best the education system has to offer, and it is our pleasure to recognize their contributions to the success of NFTE."

Rastafari and Sweet will be flown to New York City for NFTE's "Salute to the Entrepreneurial Spirit" awards dinner on April 28. Winners receive a cash prize.

BUILD, with the financial support of such national sponsors as The Goldman Sachs Foundation, Merrill Lynch and The Skoll Foundation was founded in 1999.

About BUILD

BUILD is a social venture focused on empowering youth from under-resourced communities to excel in high school, college, on the job, and beyond by delivering real-world entrepreneurial experience. BUILD encourages students to develop their own small businesses, extending traditional entrepreneurial education far beyond the classroom and providing students with practical experiences and access to talented business, academic and investment leaders in the larger community. Established by Suzanne McKechnie Klahr in September of 1999, BUILD is located on the border of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, Calif. BUILD can be found online at www.build.org.

About NFTE

The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (www.nfte.com) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to teach entrepreneurship to low-income young people ages 11 through 18 so they can become economically productive members of society by improving their academic, business, technology and life skills. NFTE is headquartered in New York City. The organization reached over 17,000 young people in 2003 and has trained teachers and youth workers in 44 states and 16 countries.