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June 1, 2012

Third Annual Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards Recognize Youth Service Leaders From Across the United States

Hasbro and generationOn Honor Six Young Volunteers Demonstrating That You Are Never Too Young to Make Your Mark on the World

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In recognition of extraordinary achievements in community service and to inspire other young people across the country to give back, last night Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) honored six youth volunteers at the generationOn annual benefit in New York City. The six young service leaders, ages eight through 16, received the third annual Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards for their dedication to creating positive change in their communities and around the world through their exceptional service.

"These young leaders are not only committed to volunteering in their own lives, but are also working hard to set positive examples and encourage service among their friends, schools, families and communities," said Brian Goldner, president and CEO of Hasbro, Inc. "Service is an important part of our culture at Hasbro and we are proud to honor these inspirational young people for the impressive mark they have already made on the world."

GenerationOn, the youth enterprise of Points of Light Institute, partnered with Hasbro to select the six award winners from hundreds of nominations received from across the United States. Each of the 2012 Hasbro Community Action Heroes traveled to New York to accept their award at last night's generationOn annual benefit and will receive a $1,000 educational scholarship. This year's honorees include:

  • Zachary Certner (Morristown, New Jersey, age 15) is the leader of SNAP (Special Needs Athletic Programs), a master motivator and a tireless advocate for special needs families. In 2011, SNAP provided more than 3,000 hours of service to the community through its sports clinics program. Most recently, SNAP has begun to provide sensitivity training to promote a culture of acceptance.
  • Maryam Farooq (Bellrose, New York, age 14) is a student leader who brought No Place for Hate (sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League), a nationally recognized anti-bullying program, to her school. In a role normally reserved for a teacher or administrator, Maryam organized and led student assemblies and staff and student workshops on the signs of bullying and how to deal with bullying.
  • Nimansha Jain (Omaha, Nebraska, age 16) uses her unique sense of logical reasoning to find intricate solutions to problems in her community. Merging her passions for volunteering and public health, Nimansha founded the Grandfather Youth Task Force. It was after her grandfather's death due to Alzheimer's disease that she looked back at the memories she shared with him, and was inspired to begin volunteering with the Visiting Nurses Association, making weekly visits to a hospice patient suffering from dementia.
  • Cassandra Lin (Westerly, Rhode Island, age 13) is the co-founder of Project T.G.I.F. - Turn Grease Into Fuel - a sustainable system that collects waste cooking oil (WCO) from residents and restaurants, refines it into biodiesel (a clean-burning, alternative energy), and distributes it to families in need. Project T.G.I.F. has distributed 5,300 flyers, 3,500 promotional calendars, made more than 40 presentations and visited more than 500 restaurants to ask the owners to donate their grease. They also drafted a bill to mandate WCO recycling for businesses in Rhode Island, which went into effect on January 1, 2012.
  • Will Lourcey (Fort Worth, Texas, age 9) saw a man on a street corner carrying a sign that read "Need a Meal" and brought together a group of friends to volunteer at a local food bank, where they packed 6,000 backpacks with food for kids at risk of hunger. This was the start of FROGs: Friends Reaching Our Goals. Will's next action was a sports-based program called Hits & Kicks Against Hunger. All money collected went to the Tarrant Area Food Bank.
  • Nina Mahalingam (Nashua, New Hampshire, age 8) started volunteering when she was barely three years old. Last year, Nina co-led "Wish Upon a Crane" campaigns in malls and also rallied youth worldwide (with help from family) using the Internet. Children from 12 countries responded by folding over 9,000 paper cranes and raising $18,000 to help victims of the 2011 Japanese earthquake.

The Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards are an integral part of Hasbro's ongoing partnership with generationOn. As its founding partner, Hasbro supports generationOn by lending its expertise through a multi-year $5 million investment by the Hasbro Children's Fund. This critical support helps generationOn provide kids of all ages with the tools and hands-on opportunities to understand the issues in their communities and become part of the solution. Through its relationship with generationOn, Hasbro works to fulfill its commitment to the transformative power of service, helping to provide opportunities for volunteerism and service learning for children and youth as a means to improve the academic and life-success of students and support the next generation of engaged global citizens.

"GenerationOn is dedicated to providing young people with the tools they need to become leaders, community activists and compassionate, global citizens," said Concetta Bencivenga, executive director of generationOn. "The Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards allow us to honor children and teens that are already making their mark through service and empower others to recognize that they can make a difference in their communities at any age."

About generationOn

GenerationOn is the global youth service movement igniting the power of all kids to make their mark on the world. As Points of Light's youth service enterprise, generationOn inspires, equips and mobilizes youth to take action through generationOn service clubs, schools, youth organizations, campaigns and youth leadership initiatives. It also provides tools and resources to youth, families and educators to help kids change the world and themselves through service. To learn more about how to get involved, visit www.generationon.org.

About Hasbro, Inc.

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for markets around the world. Programming in the U.S. is distributed on The Hub TV Network, a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK). Through the Company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at www.hasbro.com. © 2012 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

HASPH

Allison+Partners for Hasbro
Carlos Munguia, 310-496-4452
carlosm@allisonpr.com
or
For generationOn
Rebecca Kraus, 917-746-8172
rkraus@generationon.org

Source: Hasbro, Inc.

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