(SAN DIEGO) October 16, 2008 –It’s the Thanksgiving season, which is the perfect time to thank a teacher today for all of the special things they do in their mission to education local students and future generations. Mission Federal Credit Union, Junior Achievement, Cox Communications and Channel 4 San Diego have partnered to present the “I’m Thankful for My Teacher” campaign. The campaign is designed to give parents and children an opportunity to thank the teachers in their lives for their hard work, dedication, enthusiasm, support and willingness to go the extra mile for students and families throughout San Diego County.

“The ‘I’m Thankful For My Teacher’ initiative is extremely timely, given that California is suffering the harshest educational budget crisis in state history,” says Tricia Link, vice president of communications and community relations, Mission Federal Credit Union. “We've made it very easy for students and parents to participate and share their well-wishes and gratitude for teachers who are making a positive difference in their lives. In turn, we hope this effort will increase morale of teachers and education professionals who have been affected by budget cuts and unemployment worries for some time now.” Link also adds, "We are thrilled to be partnering with Junior Achievement, Cox Communications and Channel 4 San Diego, organizations who share our commitment to supporting local education initiatives."

To participate, the public is encouraged to stop by any Mission Federal Credit Union branch or any Cox store between November 1 and 30, 2008, to pick-up, fill out and drop-off a postcard that prompts parents and kids to fill out “why they are thankful for their teacher.” The contest is open to children in kindergarten through grade 12, who attend any public, private, or home school located within the borders of San Diego County. At the end of the campaign, Junior Achievement staff and volunteers will tally the results and deliver all thank you postcards to teachers throughout the San Diego region, for additional recognition for our teachers.

The top six winning elementary, middle, and high school teachers receiving the most thank you cards will receive a Westfield Shoppingtown gift card to reward themselves for all of their hard work. To boost participation, the students in the class of the winning teachers will receive a fun classroom party or fieldtrip of their choice and the invaluable gift of Junior Achievement’s award-winning financial education curriculum taught in their classroom for an entire school year, compliments of Mission Federal Credit Union. Special honorable mention prizes are planned for ten additional deserving teachers. All winning teachers will be notified the week of December 7, 2008.

About Mission Federal Credit Union
Mission Federal Credit Union is a progressive member-owned organization providing high quality financial and related services to meet the needs of a growing and diverse membership base. With $1.8 billion in assets, 23 branches, and over 127,000 members, Mission Federal is one of the largest credit unions in San Diego County. Mission Federal enhances the lives of its members through education and lifelong financial services. In addition, Mission Federal contributes to hundreds of non-profit educational and community organizations. To learn more, visit www.missionfcu.org.

About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement of San Diego and Imperial Counties prepares students in both counties for future economic achievement and success through its local in-school and hands-on programs.  Junior Achievement of San Diego and Imperial Counties reaches nearly 40,000 students in grades K-12 annually.  For more information on programs in San Diego and Imperial Counties, visit www.jasandiego.org.

About Cox Communications & Channel 4 San Diego
Operating in San Diego County since 1961, Cox Communications is a full-service telecommunications provider of voice, video and data services including digital and high definition cable television, high speed Internet, local and long distance telephone service, digital video recorder service, On Demand programming, commercial voice and data services via Cox Business Services, and advertising and promotional opportunities through San Diego Interconnect Operated by Cox Media. Cox Communications also owns and operates the Travel Channel and award-winning Channel 4 San Diego, television home of the San Diego Padres and award-winning local programming. Cox Communications serves 587,000 customers and 2,300 employees countywide. For more information, visit www.coxsandiego.com or www.4sd.com.