Cherish Wise of Bartlesville, Oklahoma Recognized for Model Behavior; Photogenic Teen Named National Grand Prize Winner in Seventeen Magazine "Mad About Milk" Contest.

Business Editors

NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo is available in a

Smart News Release(TM) on Business Wire's Home Page at

www.businesswire.com and at www.newstream.com

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2001

Cherish Wise of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, knows drinking milk can help her maintain strong bones and reach her full height potential. To reward her model behavior, Cherish, 13, earned the spot as the grand prize winner in the fifth annual "Mad About Milk" contest, sponsored by Seventeen magazine and the `got milk(R)'/Milk Mustache campaign. As the grand prize winner, Cherish was flown to New York City to experience a little star treatment during a high-fashion photo shoot - complete with professional hair, makeup and wardrobe - for her very own Milk Mustache ad to run in the September issue of Seventeen, on newsstands August 10.

The contest asks teens to create their own Milk Mustache ad and caption. Cherish beat out more than 1,500 teens across the country, a distinction that's earned her the opportunity to bring her idea to life and star in the next Milk Mustache ad, which will be featured exclusively in the September issue of Seventeen magazine, on sale August 10. In addition, Cherish also earned a cash prize, a place on the official Milk Web site, www.whymilk.com and newfound fame.

Cherish carved out her spot as a finalist by wowing the judges with her winning ad, which reads, "I'm not going through braces and growing pains for nothing! I drink three glasses of milk everyday to help keep my teeth and bones healthy and strong. Someday, when I'm taller and get this metal off my mouth, I'll be glad I know how important calcium is! Milk measures up," and features Cherish measuring herself against six milk gallons stacked on top of one another.

I've always been measuring myself because I want to be 5'8" so I can be a model," said Cherish Wise, this year's Mad About Milk Photo Contest grand prize winner. "Since I know milk helps you grow, I figured it would be a good idea to stack milk jugs on top of one another and measure myself against that."

The contest is aimed at educating teen girls about the importance of getting their daily recommended amount of calcium during this time of their lives, when bones are in one of their most active growth phases.

"In a time when the nutritional habits of our youth are being challenged by things like soda and juice drinks, this contest really helps teens remember milk is an important food to include in their diets," said Kurt Graetzer, chief executive officer of the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP). "Nearly nine out of 10 teenage girls fail to get enough calcium in their diets which can lead to serious health problems later in life. Most teens don't realize by drinking at least four, 8-ounce glasses of milk a day they can help build healthy bones for a lifetime."

Teenage diets are dangerously low in calcium. Nearly 90 percent of teenage girls and almost 70 percent of teenage boys fall short of current calcium recommendations: 1,300 mg per day, or the equivalent of about four glasses of milk. Failing to meet calcium requirements could mean trouble for teens, including the risk of stress fractures now and developing osteoporosis later in life.

Ten finalists were also selected in this year's contest. They each received a cash prize and their winning entries and captions are featured on whymilk.com.

"Seventeen magazine relays positive health messages as part of our commitment to our teenage audience," said Seventeen Publisher Linda Platzner. "The girls in this contest really help to get important health and nutrition messages out to teen girls across the country."

Teens can view all the winning entries and find out more information on other contests and events on the milk Web site, www.whymilk.com.

The National "got milk?"(R)Milk Mustache Campaign is jointly funded by America's milk processors and dairy farmers: the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board in Washington, D.C., and Dairy ManagementInc., Rosemont, Illinois. The goal of the multi-faceted campaign is to educate consumers on the benefits of milk and to raise milk consumption. A series of educational brochures is available by visiting the milk Web site at www.whymilk.com. Bozell New York is the creative agency for The National "got milk?"(R)Milk Mustache Campaign. The tagline "got milk?"(R)was created for the California Milk Processor Board by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and is licensed by the national milk processor and dairy producer groups.

Note: A Photo is available at URL:

http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.081001/bb1