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ARAMARK Employees Receive Prestigious Jefferson Awards for Public Service

PHILADELPHIA-(Business Wire)-June 18, 2008 - Twenty ARAMARK employees recently received prestigious Jefferson Awards, national honors given by the American Institute for Public Service to American citizens devoted to community and public service. ARAMARK's Gold Medal Winner, Jane Wilsher, serves as Food Service Director at Central Michigan University and was honored with 91 other recipients at a U.S. Senate reception on Capitol Hill.

"I am tremendously proud of each and every ARAMARK employee who devotes their time to the communities where we live and work," said Joseph Neubauer, ARAMARK Chairman and CEO. "At ARAMARK, we believe that the skills, expertise, and passion of our employees bring great value to community organizations serving people in need."

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr., and Sam Beard, who has created and chaired public service initiatives for the past seven presidents, founded the Institute in 1972 to establish a "Nobel Prize" for public and community service. The Jefferson Awards are presented on two levels: national and local. National award recipients represent a "Who's Who" of outstanding Americans. On the local level, Jefferson Awards recipients are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward.

This year, ARAMARK employees were recognized as part of the Corporate Champions program, which was created in 2006 to encourage volunteering in the workplace.

Wilsher has been a dedicated ARAMARK employee for nearly 30 years and was honored for her commitment to Michigan's Mount Pleasant community where she has volunteered continuously for several local organizations. She been has involved in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for more than five years as a Big Sister, mentor and friend to a special young girl (and, in a show of true dedication, brought her Little Sister with her to the Jefferson Awards ceremony to experience the event together.) Wilsher also serves on the Board of Directors and the Fundraising Committee for Big Brothers Big Sisters; has supported the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen since 1996 by organizing major fundraising events and serving as Lead Chef every other week; and she volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, the Adopt-a-Highway program, and is active in organizing ARAMARK's annual Adopt-a-Family program.

"ARAMARK employees share a strong commitment to roll up our sleeves and get things done," said Wilsher. "I'm honored to receive an award that sheds light on the importance of reliably giving our time and skills to communities that need it most."

Several other ARAMARK employees received Jefferson awards this year, including Silver Medal winners Karen Jones at East Carolina University, Darren Achtzehn at Seton Hill University, and Robert G. Perez at the University of California's Irvine campus. There were also 16 ARAMARK employees who were awarded Bronze medals.

About ARAMARK

ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. In FORTUNE magazine's 2008 list of "America's Most Admired Companies," ARAMARK was ranked number one in its industry, consistently ranking since 1998 as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers and analysts. ARAMARK also ranked first in its industry in the 2007 FORTUNE 500 survey. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 250,000 employees serving clients in 19 countries. Learn more at the company's Web site, www.aramark.com.

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