Pioneer Credit Recovery and The Sallie Mae Fund Donate Nearly $200,000 to Western New York Charities in 2006

ARCADE, N.Y., Dec. 21  /PRNewswire/ -- Western New York based receivables management company and Sallie Mae subsidiary Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc. today celebrated another banner year of charitable giving in the community. The company, along with The Sallie Mae Fund, the philanthropic arm of Sallie Mae, donated nearly $200,000 to local Western New York charities through its "charity of the month" program and fifth annual golf outing. Since January 2004, employees have donated more than $550,000 in cash and matching contributions to philanthropic organizations in Western New York.

"Pioneer is a homegrown Western New York company, and we take pride in giving back to the communities where our employees live and work," said Joan Ludwick, Chief Executive Officer, Pioneer Credit Recovery. "Once again, our employees have gone above and beyond the call of duty, volunteering their time and making generous donations for these worthy causes."

Pioneer and The Sallie Mae Fund were proud to support the following local philanthropic organizations and charities in 2006:

  Bertrand-Chaffee Hospital
  Ronald McDonald House of Rochester and Buffalo
  Angel Action
  Leukemia Lymphoma Society
  CURE Childhood Cancer, Inc.
  Genesee and Wyoming County Habitat for Humanity
  American Cancer Society
  Literacy Genesee/Literacy Wyoming
  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association
  Multiple Sclerosis Society
  National Marfan Foundation
  American Diabetes Association
  Amber Lynn Osgood Endowment for Sarcoma Research
  Canter for Cancer
  Kids Escaping Drugs
  KidCo Computers for Children
  Wyoming County Chemical Abuse Treatment Program
  Genesee Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Foundation
  Cattaraugus County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse



"The day that I made the phone call to Pioneer Credit asking to be considered for the charity of the month program was the day our tournament took on a whole new life!" said Joan Harrison, Sponsorship Chairperson of the Drive Out Breast Cancer Women's Golf Challenge. "It has been an honor to have Pioneer Credit working with us for the past five years on this worthwhile cause. On behalf of the Drive Out Women's Breast Cancer Committee and the American Cancer Society, we can only say Thank You to them -- knowing full well, words can never adequately express our appreciation and the appreciation of all women who suffer from this disease."

Pioneer is the largest private-sector employer in Wyoming County and has received numerous awards, including the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics and the 2005 Wyoming County Business of the Year by the Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming (GLOW) Workforce Investment Board. The company remains one of the fastest-growing employers in Western New York, tripling its work force in just four years.

Sallie Mae, the nation's leading provider of education funding, acquired Pioneer in December 2001.

Pioneer Credit Recovery: Founded in 1980, Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc. is a national leader in the collection industry, providing collection services on defaulted debt.  Headquartered in Western New York and employing nearly 1,400 people, Pioneer partners with multiple state and federal clients, including the U.S. Department of Education, and is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. In continuously surpassing the competition, Pioneer provides clients with quality results, experience, leadership and technology, including state- of-the art infrastructure, telecommunications and collections systems. Pioneer Credit Recovery is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sallie Mae, the nation's leading provider of education funding.  SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States.

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission -- to increase access to a post secondary education for America's children -- by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can. For more information visit http://www.salliemaefund.org/. 

DATASOURCE: Pioneer Credit Recovery; The Sallie Mae Fund



CONTACT:  Rick Castellano of Sallie Mae, [phone],





Web site:  http://www.salliemaefund.org/

http://www.pioneer-credit.com/ 

Copyright