Media Contacts:

Christy Salcido
Declare Yourself
310-385-4055
csalcido@actlll.com

Doug Piwinski
Bragman Nyman Cafarelli
310-274-7800
dpiwinski@bncpr.com

Washington, DC - Leaders from corporate, technology, government and education sectors, flanked by actor Drew Barrymore and an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, gathered today along with hundreds of college students at George Washington University to launch a national nonpartisan young voter empowerment initiative called Declare Yourself. Major sponsors of the new one-year campaign are The Home Depot and AXA Financial, Inc., with significant partners including Yahoo!, Clear Channel Communications, Friendster.com, Vibe.com, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and Newspapers in Education (NIE).

Founded by TV producer and philanthropist Norman Lear, Declare Yourself is a nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign designed to energize a new movement of young adults to vote in the 2004 election. By creatively fusing technology, entertainment and education, Declare Yourself will challenge Americans between the ages of 18 and 29, especially first-time voters, to find their reason to register and to vote.

Declare Yourself is the culmination of a three-year project, the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, made possible by The Home Depot (Presenting Sponsor) and AXA Financial (Proud Sponsor), which took an original copy of the Declaration of Independence and a multimedia exhibit on a 50-city cross-country tour highlighting the contemporary relevance of our nation’s birth certificate, reaching nearly one million Americans.

The Declare Yourself voter empowerment initiative is rooted in a national research study, Youth Vote 2004, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI). The results of the study were released today (see attached) and offered key insights regarding the voting beliefs and habits of 16-29-year-olds, including the importance of getting young people registered to vote as they turn 18. The survey also pointed to "political incompetence" as a major barrier to voting.

One of the largest voter awareness initiatives to-date, the multi-faceted Declare Yourself campaign is intent on creating a national movement through the following:

• The launch today of www.DeclareYourself.com, a one-stop online destination for young voters to complete and print voter registration forms for any state, download forms to request absentee ballots, find their polling places, stay on top of political and election news, and learn about the candidates
• An 18-city college campus tour featuring top spoken word artists and a traveling Declaration of Independence exhibit
• Declare Yourself participation at numerous summer music festivals and events
• A live, nationally televised concert in the fall
• A national "young voter education initiative" targeting high school seniors that includes a short film called "Let’s Go Voting!" about why and how to vote, narrated by actors Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn
• Declare Yourself public service announcements featuring actors, musicians and athletes
• A "get out the vote" blitz 50 days before the 2004 election

"We’re going to use history to make history," said Lear. "Getting young people to vote is a sizable challenge, but we’re going to move the mountain one rock at a time. Our task at hand is very much like the one faced with the founders of the Declaration, but we are deeply committed to this cause. We’ve analyzed the problem, and are now going to try to solve at least some of it in a different way, with the help of some very significant partners and sponsors."

SPONSOR AND PARTNER ACTIVITIES

The mission of Declare Yourself is fueled by numerous partnerships and sponsorships in both the public and private sectors. Corporate sponsors and activities include:

• The Home Depot - As presenting sponsor of the Declare Yourself campaign, The Home Depot is dedicated to inspiring youth and adults to embrace civic participation and service. To continue to promote understanding of the founding principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence in 2004, The Home Depot will support programs and service projects across the country that represent this incredible tour.

• AXA Financial, Inc. - As part of its commitment to the Declare Yourself campaign, AXA Financial, Inc. will strive for 100 percent voter registration and participation among all of its eligible employees and their family members nationwide. The company has more than 140 corporate, branch and district offices across the country.

With the Internet playing such an important role in the lives and opinions of its target audience, Declare Yourself has formed several strategic partnerships with some of the world’s most recognized online brands. These Include:

Yahoo! - The number-one Internet brand and the most trafficked Internet destination globally, will serve as the Premier Online Partner for Declare Yourself, creating and implementing a series of online initiatives throughout 2004, leveraging its most effective marketing tools, including instant messenger and search. Additionally, Yahoo! will run "Register to Vote" banners throughout its site targeting young adults and driving traffic to www.DeclareYourself.com, as well as providing access to news and other political resources. Yahoo! will play a vital role in the Declare Yourself campaign to reach a massive audience and register huge numbers of young people online.

Clear Channel - Clear Channel Communications will partner with Declare Yourself to develop a yearlong public awareness campaign that educates young people about the importance of civic engagement and voting. The campaign will involve Clear Channel’s radio, live entertainment and outdoor advertising companies on the Declare Yourself College Tour as well as special events throughout 2004.

Other online partners also will direct its visitors to www.DeclareYourself.com via "Register to Vote" banners and email blasts, including Friendster.com and Vibe.com.

Young Voter Education Initiative

A massive young voter education initiative will provide all of the necessary tools needed to participate in the voting process, including where/when to register, absentee ballots, campaign issue updates and how to vote on Election Day. A short comedy film targeting high school seniors, narrated by Stiller and Vaughn, "Let’s Go Voting!," is meant to serve as a discussion guide for educators and to engage young people through every aspect of the registration and voting experience. The program will be distributed nationwide in March 2004, in conjunction with Young Voter Awareness Month. All of the activities under the voter education initiative are presented with the full support of the following:

• Newspapers in Education (NIE) - NIE programs in 42 states (153 cities) will publish and distribute the Declare Yourself voter education materials in special newspaper inserts developed for high school classrooms. The total circulation reach of participating NIE newspaper programs is approximately 13 million, with a reach to more than one million high school seniors.

• National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) - In select states and cities, NASS and individual Secretary of State offices will facilitate voter registration for high school seniors.

Support for Declare Yourself also will be evidenced through widespread participation provided by the entertainment community. Among numerous activities slated are:

• Voter Registration Parties - Several nationwide "voter registration parties" featuring young celebrities will take place in early 2004.

• Public Service Announcements - Politically aware young personalities from film, television, music and sports will appear in numerous Declare Yourself television, radio and print public service announcements throughout 2004, relying on the spirit of the Declaration of Independence as a galvanizing symbol.

Throughout 2004, Declare Yourself will rally young Americans by delivering its pro-voting messages in three distinct phases. These are:

• Declare Yourself College Tour - Kicking off in January 2004, Declare Yourself’s college tour will feature six of the nation’s best spoken word artists, who will harness the power and rising popularity of the genre as they visit 18 major colleges through the spring. Among the artists are notable poets Steve Connell, Sekou (tha misfit), Gina Loring and Marty McConnell, in collaboration with filmmaker and stage director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld ("Kissing Jessica Stein," "Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde").

• Summer Music Tour and Nationally Televised Concert - Declare Yourself will align itself with several well-attended music festivals and events throughout next summer, culminating in a nationally televised Declare Yourself concert featuring some of today’s hottest performers.

• 50-Day "Get Out the Vote" Blitz - From September 15 until the November 4 election, the Declare Yourself campaign will embark on a 50-day blitz to motivate young registrants to declare themselves by casting their votes.

ABOUT DECLARE YOURSELF:

Declare Yourself is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to energize and empower a new movement of young voters to participate in the 2004 election. Declare Yourself will rally young Americans through a live spoken word and music tour; an unprecedented nationwide voter education initiative for high school seniors; a comprehensive voter registration and election information Web site; an extensive online awareness campaign; a massive voter registration drive; a televised "get out the vote" concert; and public service announcements. Unique alliances with technology and media partners, educators, the entertainment, music and fashion industries, the corporate community and the National Association of Secretaries of State will be used to ignite millions of young voters.

This nonprofit one-year voter campaign is the culmination of a three-year project, the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, a 50-city cross-country tour of the Declaration of Independence and a multimedia exhibit on the contemporary relevance of our nation’s birth certificate. Founded by Norman Lear, the DOI Road Trip and Declare Yourself are made possible by The Home Depot, Presenting Sponsor; and AXA Financial, Inc., Proud Sponsor. For more information, please visit www.DeclareYourself.com.

ABOUT THE HOME DEPOT:

Founded in 1978, The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer and the second largest retailer in the United States, with fiscal 2002 sales of $58.2 billion. The company employs approximately 315,000 associates and has 1,643 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, eight Canadian provinces, and Mexico. Its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:HD) and is included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

ABOUT AXA FINANCIAL, INC.

AXA Financial, Inc., with approximately $458 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2003, is one of the world’s premier financial services organizations through its strong brands: The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the U.S., AXA Advisors, LLC, Alliance Capital Management L.P., Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., and its premier wholesale distribution organization, AXA Distributors. AXA Financial is a member of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection and wealth management. AXA Group operations are diverse geographically, with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific region. The company has 130,000 employees and exclusive sales associates around the world.

AXA Group had $863 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2003 and reported revenues of approximately $41 billion for the six months ending June 30, 2003. The AXA ordinary share is listed and trades under the symbol AXA on the Paris Stock Exchange. The AXA American Depositary Share is also listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AXA.