Medical Student Wins Prestigious National Volunteer Award for Service to Youth



January 12, 2005 -- The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) announced today that Chirag B. Patel of Houston, Texas will receive its prestigious Lewis Hine Award on January 31, 2005 in New York City. Mr. Patel, an MD/PhD student at the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center, is being honored for his determination and commitment to helping young people in a broad variety of ways.

Chirag Patel "is able to bring every young person into the conversation and make everyone feel a part of the discussion," say those who nominated him. All point out that "in virtually every situation Chirag looked for and found ways to improve the ways in which students were provided services and given an understanding of diversity." "His ease of working with young people is remarkable and he is able to engage the trust of everyone he works with." According to one reference, "In the twenty-five years of working with students, I've never seen anyone like Chirag . He wasn't just active on the Johns Hopkins University campus (in Baltimore, where he attended undergraduate and graduate school) but throughout the community; he took it upon himself, without anyone asking, to find ways to expand the outreach on behalf of young people into neighborhoods and areas never touched previously." An excellent student, Chirag will become "a great doctor." As soon as he moved to Houston, he contacted people back in Baltimore to discuss ways to get a similar program going in the Houston community.

"The Lewis Hine Awards are very special," says C. Robert Henrikson, President and Chief Operating Officer of MetLife, Inc. and Chair of this year's Lewis Hine Awards. "They honor those unsung heroes who give of themselves to better the lives of young people. The winners are chosen for the extraordinary work they do to provide our children with the tools and support they need to become happy and self-sufficient adults."

Mr. Patel is one of 10 men and women, volunteers and professionals, selected from hundreds of submissions from across the nation. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 prize and a trip to the awards ceremony in New York City.

A panel of distinguished judges from corporations, nonprofits, and foundations selected award recipients from hundreds of nominations submitted by governors, mayors, CEOs, and nonprofit leaders from across the country. The winners join a select group of dedicated individuals with extraordinary stories from communities big and small, urban and rural, who reach out every day to make the futures of young people better.

Named for acclaimed photographer Lewis Wickes Hine, the Awards were established by The NCLC in 1985. In the early twentieth century, Hine worked for the NCLC using his camera to document child labor conditions in the workplace. Hine's more than 10,000 unsettling images of children laboring in sweatshops, coal mines, textile mills, and on farms stirred Americans to take action to enact state and federal laws to protect the rights of children in the workplace.

The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC)
The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1904 and incorporated by an Act of Congress in 1907. Its mission is to promote the rights, dignity, well-being, and education of children and youth as they relate to work and the workplace. In its tenth decade, the NCLC continues the work of its founding visionaries as a leading force in ensuring child labor law compliance, transforming the workplace into a learning environment, improving youth occupational safety and health, educating children, and increasing public awareness of the rights of children.

About MetLife:
MetLife is a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET). Ranked 36th on the Fortune 500, MetLife is a leader in providing insurance and other financial services to millions of individual and institutional customers. As sponsor of the 2005 Lewis Hine Awards, MetLife carries on the company's long-standing tradition of community involvement. Recognizing the vital role that young people play in the future of our country, MetLife and MetLife Foundation support organizations which provide opportunities for young people to learn and grow and encourage mentoring. MetLife has supported The Lewis Hine Awards since 1988.

For more information about The Lewis Hine Awards and the National Child Labor Committee,
e-mail - e-mail protected from spam bots or call (1-212) 840-1801 x 23.

2005 Lewis Hine Awards Chairman's Committee Advisory Board:
Betsy Brand
Director, American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and
Chairman, National Child Labor Committee (NCLC)

Robert L. Clare III, Esq.
Coudert Brothers LLP

James Johnson, Esq.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

David T. Kearns
Retired Chief Executive Officer
Xerox Corporation

Martha E. McGarry, Esq.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

J. Richard Munro
Retired Co-Chairman
Time Warner

Deval L. Patrick, Esq.
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
The Coca-Cola Company

Hugh B. Price, Esq.
Piper Rudnick LLP





Medical Student Wins Prestigious National Volunteer Award for Service to Youth