FEATURE/Spending Time Together Tops This Valentine's Day: Expensive Gifts Not the Best Way to Show a Loved One You Care According to American Heart Association Poll.

Lifestyle Editors

FEATURE...

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Feb. 1, 2002

Togetherness tops the list of how to show a loved one you care. More than 50 percent of adults say time together with loved ones is the best way to show you care. Time fared better than showing affection or buying expensive gifts like jewelry, clothes and electronics - according to an American Heart Association poll.

Four out of ten people polled said they preferred to celebrate Valentine's day with dinner at a restaurant, nearly thirty percent felt a vacation or getaway was the most romantic - with less than ten percent interested in dancing or another activity (bowling, skiing, etc.). The poll was conducted as part of the organization's Power of Love fund-raising campaign.

The American Heart Association has a long tradition of supporting heart health through research and education. This February the organization is helping with affairs of the heart too. The Power of Love helps people celebrate the love in their hearts while raising vital funds for research from participating sponsors. The makers of some of your favorite beauty products and other retailers are contributing a portion of their February sales to the American Heart Association.

Consumers can show their feelings for their loved ones by logging on to a special American Heart Association Power of Love Web site -- americanheart.org/Love. This site for sweethearts includes:

- Complimentary Valentine's Day screensavers to keep love on your computer
screen and in your heart or to share with your sweetheart,

- Free Valentine's Day electronic greetings to send to loved ones - including a
link to honor your sweetheart with a donation from the heart to the American
Heart Association,

- Results from the American Heart Association's exclusive poll on romance and
matters of the heart and opportunities to take part in online instant polls,

- Information on how some of your favorite celebrities spend Valentine's Day,
and

- Links to Power of Love sponsors. During February, these sponsors -- the
makers of some of your favorite beauty products and other retailers -- will
contribute a portion of their sales to the American Heart Association.

What is the power of love? A mother's soothing touch ... a friend's compassionate words ... the exhilaration of a first kiss ... the strength of your loved one's embrace. This February the power of love is also the power to help save lives from cardiovascular disease -- the number one killer of both women and men.

Thanks in part to American Heart Association-funded research, important discoveries such as CPR, life-extending drugs, pacemakers, bypass surgery and surgical techniques to repair heart defects have been discovered. Countless people are alive today to enjoy the love of family and friends due to these lifesaving advances. With the help of the Power of Love campaign even more lives may be saved in the future.

The American Heart Association understands the life-saving, life-changing power of love --- after all, "heart" is the organization's middle name.

The Power of Love is sponsored by Walgreens, Redken, OPI Nail Lacquer, Pantene conditioner, the American Beauty Association, and participating Federated Department Stores (Goldsmith's, Burdine's, Lazarus and Rich's).

About the American Heart Association:

The American Heart Association spent about $382 million during fiscal year 2000 - 2001 on research support, public and professional education, and community programs. Nationwide, the organization has grown to include more than 22.5 million volunteers and supporters who carry out its mission in communities across the country. The association is the largest nonprofit voluntary health organization fighting heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, which annually kill about 960,000 Americans. For more information visit americanheart.org or call 1-800-AHA-USA1.

Editor's Note:

For additional poll results contact [e-mail] or call 214-706-1467.