Super Bowl Champion Passes 500 Mile Mark in Virginia

RETIRED NY GIANTS GREAT GEORGE MARTIN NEARING 500th MILE ON “a JOURNEY FOR 9/11” CHARITABLE WALK ACROSS THE U.S.

3,200+ Mile Cross-Country Trek from New York to San Francisco to Help Fund Healthcare for Thousands of Ailing WTC Rescue and Recovery Workers

Super Bowl Champion Will Pass 500 Mile Mark in Virginia Tomorrow

New York, NY, October 29, 2007 – Retired New York Giants co-captain and Super Bowl champion George Martin will tomorrow walk the 500th mile of his 3,200+ mile trek across the United States to benefit seriously ill Ground Zero rescue and recovery workers. His walk from New York to San Francisco, called “a Journey for 9/11” (http://www.ajourneyfor911.info/), began on September 16, and continues in southern Virginia today as Mr. Martin nears mile 500 -- anticipated to be just south of Christiansburg, VA -- on Tuesday, October 30.

Mr. Martin seeks to raise several million dollars to provide healthcare for 9/11 responders and increase awareness about the illnesses now affecting those who are suffering from lung disease, post traumatic stress disorder and other serious medical conditions stemming from their efforts at Ground Zero after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

From Virginia, Mr. Martin will head toward Tennessee. He anticipates reaching Kingsport, TN, on or around November 7, as his Journey bends from south to west across the nation. Averaging 20-30 miles per day on foot, Mr. Martin has already passed through portions of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia during this first leg of his Journey. His trek began at the George Washington Bridge in New York City and will end at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in Spring 2008. Mr. Martin’s path can be tracked online daily via a GPS system accessible at http://www.ajourneyfor911.info/.

''I am inspired and energized by the people I meet along the way -- their enthusiasm for our mission is astounding,” said Mr. Martin, vice president of sports marketing for AXA Equitable. “There are thousands of true national heroes of 9/11 who are now suffering medically, and I believe we owe them our support for helping our nation survive and heal after such a horrific tragedy. Six years after the attacks, many are now seriously ill from the trauma and the toxins they were exposed to at Ground Zero, and they deserve the best medical care available. While reaching the 500 mile mark feels great and is a proud moment in this long Journey, the true measure of our success will be when we can substantially raise the national awareness about and funds needed to provide proper care. Most of these rescue and recovery workers are not adequately covered for or are able to obtain the medical care they simply must have.”

The Medical Problems of Working at Ground Zero
Medical studies now substantiate what many had suspected and claimed for several years – that working at Ground Zero led to serious, long-term medical problems for thousands of people. Studies indicate that 3.6 percent of WTC rescue and recovery workers reported developing asthma after exposure to dust and debris from working at the site, 12 times the rate of the normal adult population. And according to the NYC Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, one in eight of nearly 30,000 WTC rescue and recovery workers developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition found to be highest among WTC volunteers http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2007/pr076-07.shtml.

Hackensack University Medical Center (NJ), North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health Systems (NY) and the Mt. Sinai Medical Center (NY) will match in medical services the total funds Mr. Martin’s Journey raises.

The Route and the Journey Team
The 15 states on Mr. Martin’s Journey include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and California. He has also walked through Washington, DC, where the Journey received a substantial donation from the NFL Players Association in a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial. On October 4, Mr. Martin participated in an event on Capitol Hill with federal legislators who are sponsoring legislation to provide healthcare funding and compensation for sick and injured 9/11 workers and others who have fallen ill from exposure to toxins at Ground Zero. On October 13, Mr. Martin jumped ahead of his route to participate in the NASCAR Foundation Track Walk at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC (he then traveled back to Charlottesville, VA, to continue his walk).

Mr. Martin, 54, trained more than three months for this trek. Throughout his Journey, he is accompanied by one security officer and a support team that includes an advance person; a technology advisor who is documenting and routing the Journey; and a medical technician.

George Martin was a star defensive end and co-captain of the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants (1986). In Super Bowl XXI, he famously tackled Broncos quarterback John Elway for a safety in the end zone. During his 14 NFL seasons (1975-1988), Mr. Martin scored seven touchdowns (three on interception returns), which set a record for defensive linemen, surpassed this season by Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Jason Taylor. Mr. Martin is a former president of the NFL Players Association.

Support from Business, Medical, Education, Sports and Charitable Community
Sponsors of the Journey include Hackensack University Medical Center; North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health Systems; Mt. Sinai Medical Center; AXA Equitable; Fairleigh Dickinson University; United Parcel Service; Bear Stearns; Proskauer Rose LLP; Nike; Tana Seybert Printing; Hunter Douglas; the New York Giants; the National Football League; the National Football League Players Association; General Motors; Sprint; World Wrestling Entertainment; Big Blue Travel; CV Technologies; ESRI; Intelligent Design; KeySpan Energy; Lou Hammond Associates; MAN Etc., Inc; MBT Physiological Footwear; Nautilus; Proforma Associates; SJI Associates; S& L Services; and Valley National Bank. Beau Dietl & Associates is providing security for the Journey. Philanthropists Joseph H. and Dr. Carol F. Reich have pledged a substantial donation as well.

''I am walking every mile of the route, and it is a very gratifying challenge,'' said Mr. Martin. “Outside of family, this is the most important thing I have ever done in my life.”

Donations
To make an online tax deductible financial donation to “a Journey for 9/11,” visit http://www.active.com/donate/aJourneyfor911; or mail a check to “a Journey for 9/11,” c/o Valley National Bank, P.O. Box 707, Wayne, NJ 07474-0707; or call 866-808-2553.

For general information about “a Journey for 9/11,” visit http://www.ajourneyfor911.info/.