American Express Announces Top 5 Project Ideas for ’’The Members Project’’

Final Cardmember Vote Will Determine Which Project Idea Will Be Brought to Life

NEW YORK,- American Express today announced the top 5 project ideas selected as finalists for The Members Project (www.membersproject.com), the unique online initiative that brought American Express® Cardmembers together to submit, discuss and rate ideas to make a positive impact in the world. Thousands of Cardmembers from across the country came together to vote, narrowing the field from the top 50 project ideas to the top 25 and now to the top 5. Cardmembers have through Sunday, August 5th to cast their vote for the winning idea, which will be announced on August 7th.

As the final voting phase of The Members Project begins, American Express is calling for Cardmembers to register and vote for their favorite project idea. For every Cardmember that registers, American Express will contribute $1 toward the winning idea. American Express has committed at least $1 million to bring the winning idea to life.

TOP 5 PROJECT IDEAS*

* “Children’s Safe Drinking Water – Four thousand children die needlessly every day from drinking contaminated water. This program aims to address this issue through an innovative and low-cost technology that effectively purifies and cleans water while removing bacteria, viruses, and parasites.”
* “Plant A Million Trees - Global Reforestation – From forest fires to rain forest destruction to natural water disasters to overdevelopment, trees are disappearing in vast numbers all over the globe. This plan suggests planting millions of trees where they are needed most.”
* “Restore our U.S. National Parks – The United States National Parks and Historic Sites are in disrepair and funding is needed to repair and refurbish. This project aims to provide funding to the landmarks that define our nation.”
* “Teachers ask. You choose. Students learn. – This program aims to create a website where public school teachers can request specific educational projects for their classrooms, and individuals can log on to choose which projects to fund, in turn, providing educational tools for students from low-income families nationwide.”
* “Wind and Solar for Residential – This project plans to create a small power generating unit that is small and powerful enough to be placed into every residential home. The ultimate goal of the project is to create a community of homes to help generate power for the power companies to use.”

American Express worked with an Advisory Panel of renowned thought-leaders in a variety of fields to review the top-rated projects, as rated by the Cardmembers, and select the top 50 project ideas.

Advisory Panelists include:

* Geoff Canada – President and CEO, Harlem Children’s Zone
* Ellen DeGeneres – Comedian and Talk Show Host
* Dr. Jane Goodall – Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace
* Dr. Sanjay Gupta – CNN Chief Medical Correspondent and Neurosurgeon
* Rosabeth Moss Kanter – Harvard Business School Professor
* Dr. Michael Lomax – President and CEO, United Negro College Fund
* Wynton Marsalis – Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center
* Gabrielle Reece – Professional Volleyball Player and Sports/Fitness Expert

The Members Project, which is a part of American Express’ new brand campaign, “Are You a Cardmember?(sm)”, highlights the value of being part of the American Express Cardmember community.