St. Louis Burn Survivor Chosen for First Ever Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame

Online Vote Selects Determined Father, Business Owner, and Volunteer to Join Cal Ripken, Jr. as First Inductees -- Raises $5000 for Parkinson's Disease Research and Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization

ST. LOUIS, Sept 19, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Giving up was never an option for John O'Leary. On January 17, 1987, his life changed forever. As a nine year old, John wanted to see what would happen if he mixed fire and gasoline. He went out to the garage and held a piece of paper over a gasoline can. The fumes from the can exploded and John was burned on more than 98% of his body. With less than one half of one percent chance of surviving that first night, John beat all the odds.

Today, John is a proud husband and father. He owns his own rehab business, is a chaplain at a children's hospital, a volunteer Big Brother and is the founder of Rising-Above, a motivational speaking organization that speaks to schools and groups throughout the country.

For his perseverance and dedication, John has been selected to join baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr. as the first inductees in the Energizer^® Keep Going^® Hall of Fame.

"I'm honored to be inducted alongside someone like John O'Leary," said Ripken. "The Keep Going^® Hall of Fame celebrates the best in all of us."

Out of ten finalists, John was selected by a public online vote at http://www.energizer.com as the "everyday" inductee to the Keep Going Hall of Fame, established to honor those who best embody the characteristics and spirit of the beloved Energizer Bunny^® and the batteries he represents. Each online vote triggered a donation to the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, raising $10,000 for the organization.

"All the nominations we received were awe-inspiring, but John's story obviously struck a chord with those who visited the site," said Jeff Ziminski, Vice President of Marketing for Energizer North America. "We're proud to have him be a part of the Keep Going Hall of Fame -- he truly represents the qualities we all so admire in the Energizer Bunny."

As the winner, John will receive a $10,000 cash award, and a $5,000 donation to help his favorite charities Keep Going. John will split the donation between Parkinson's Disease research and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Louis. He will also appear at a special induction ceremony at the Hall of Fame site at the Company's world headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Energizer^® Keep Going^® Hall of Fame kicked off in February by naming Cal Ripken, Jr. as the first honorary inductee. With Ripken's help, Energizer issued a call for entries of people who display the same traits as the Energizer Bunny -- determination, perseverance and a never quit attitude. More than 1,200 people from all across the country were nominated. A panel of independent judges reviewed the nominations and selected 100 semi-finalists. Ten finalists were then selected and featured on http://www.energizer.com where the public cast their vote for their favorite Keep Going Hall of Fame candidate.

About Cal Ripken, Jr.
Cal Ripken is baseball's all-time IronMan. He retired from baseball in October, 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His name appears in the record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.

In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played (2,130) and voluntarily ended his streak in 1998 after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Although he finished his career at third base, this future Hall of Famer is still best known for redefining the position of shortstop. Ripken's name has become synonymous with strength, character, endurance and integrity. His philosophy of working hard, playing with passion and enjoying the game has made a tremendous impact on the sport and on fans everywhere.