Feb. 28, 2005

TEMPE, Ariz.--Valley of the Sun icon, philanthropist, businessman and lifelong Arizona resident Ira A. Fulton, in conjunction with the Sun Angel Foundation, have announced "The Fulton Challenge," a matching gift program designed to increase gifts to the Sun Angel Foundation which will be used to support student scholarships (academic support) and the academic department (Office of Student-Athlete Development) at Arizona State University.

For one full year (March 1, 2005 until February 28, 2006), Fulton, a Tempe native, will match new or increased gifts made to the Sun Angel Foundation Scholarship Fund in full. All gifts will be matched as specified up to a maximum of $25,000 per gift.

* Individuals who have never made a gift to the Sun Angel Foundation Scholarship Fund, or who have not made a gift in the past two years, will be matched two-to-one up to $5,000 per gift.

* Gifts from individuals who currently donate to the Sun Angel Foundation Scholarship Fund will be matched one-to-one up to $5,000 per gift on any increase in total gift from the previous year.

* Gifts from former and current student-athletes will be matched two-to-one up to $5,000 per gift.

* Gifts that exceed $5,000 will be matched according to the above criteria on the first $5,000, and thereafter will be matched up to $25,000 on a one-to-one basis.

For example, if a first-time donor or former student-athlete participates in the Fulton Challenge, making a $500 gift, the Sun Angel Foundation Scholarship Fund receives that $500, plus a matching two-for-one gift from Mr. Fulton of $1,000. Therefore, the original gift of $500 is now $1,500, thus tripling the impact this gift has on the lives of ASU's student-athletes.

Another example: if a current Sun Angel Foundation member has been contributing $5,000 per year and now decided to contribute $10,000 due to the Fulton Challenge, Mr. Fulton would match the $5,000 increase on a one-to-one basis for a total impact of $15,000.

Fulton's commitment to matching these gifts will continue until it reaches a ceiling of $1,000,000.

"In order for Arizona State University to compete with other elite programs across the country, we need to take advantage of Ira Fulton's gracious offer through the support of current and new Sun Angel Foundation Members," says Mike Gallagher, Chairman of The Sun Angel Foundation Board of Directors. "This support will allow our student-athletes to excel at the highest levels of academic and athletic excellence, which is vital as we look to develop the leaders of tomorrow."

"Without the scholarship I would be unable to attend college and would not be playing football," says Ishmael Thrower of Sacramento, Calif., who helped lead the Sun Devils to a 2004 Vitalis Sun Bowl victory over Purdue. "My athletic scholarship is the reason I am here at ASU. It is very important to me."

"With my athletic scholarship I have the opportunity to compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics and graduate with a degree from ASU," says women's basketball player Emily Westerberg of Greenacres, Wash. "I am fortunate to gain a background that is filled with both team, academic and student experiences."

"The best thing about the ASU training facilities is being able to practice and study together as a team," says football student-athlete Jordan Hill, a defensive lineman from Pocatello, Idaho. "We have a state of the art weight room downstairs and our academic office upstairs. This gives us a chance to compete at the highest level, both athletically and intellectually."

Currently, ASU ranks eighth out of the 10 Pacific-10 Conference institutions in total revenue generation.

For more information regarding the "The Fulton Challenge" call the Sun Angel Foundation at 480-727-7700 or log onto www.sunangelfoundation.org.

Ira A. Fulton Bio

Born in Tempe in 1931, Fulton grew up defining his own work ethic. At age six, he became a dishwasher in his mother's café. He acquired his first "real" job as a newspaper courier at age eleven, eventually becoming the number one carrier for The Arizona Republic.

After attending Arizona State University on a football scholarship, then marrying Mary Lou Henson, he went to work for National Cash Register, where he rose to the heights of National Salesman of the Year. From NCR, he formed his own companies, serving the computer needs of many corporations.

In 1974, Fulton became a consultant for Eagleson's Big and Tall men's clothiers in Southern California. Formed in 1867, Eagleson's consisted of two retail outlets and was close to bankruptcy. Within two years, he purchased the company, turned it around and expanded it to include 33 retail stores with sales in the multi-millions.

During this same time period, he formed Fulton Homes in his home state of Arizona. With cash flow from his clothing business, he grew from building several homes a year to the present annual volume approaching 1,500 residential units.