HispanicBusiness

ATHENS, Greece, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Prior to the start of the Paralympic Games in Athens, Visa International, proud Sponsor of the Paralympic Games, is joining hands with members of Athens' disabled community to arrange a special "Fun Day" for children with a disability. This forms part of Visa's "Making a Difference" campaign. The children, from three Athens schools, will meet, talk and watch as eight Paralympic athletes from five countries demonstrate their skills at their sports at the Dais School in Athens.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040916/LNTH013-a http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040916/LNTH013-b )

"Making a Difference" is Visa's ongoing process that adds significant value to its support of the Paralympic movement, extending the benefits of its Paralympic sponsorship to facilitate everyday life for people with disabilities and to upgrade the quality of life of all citizens.

The purpose of the "Fun Day" is to introduce these remarkable Paralympians to the children so they can see for themselves what unique and special people they really are and hopefully instill within them a sense of pride and purpose. The athletes attending are:

* Saul Mendoza - Marathon, Mexico * Marlon Shirley - Sprinting, USA * Cheri Blauwe - Marathon, USA * Andrea de Mello - Fencing, Brazil * Joon Sok Seo - Swimming, Brazil * Azzura Ciani - Target Shooting, Italy * Alex Taxildaris - Swimming, Greece * Michalis Koulizos and Evaggelia Lapara - Boccia, Greece.

Additionally, Visa is providing more than 400 day long passes to the Paralympic Games to the three schools involved -- the Ilion School, the Ilioupolis School and the ELEPAP School. The passes will be provided to students and family members so they may witness the Paralympic Games firsthand. Paralympic Games quality sets of Boccia Balls will also be donated to the schools.

Visa is proud to be the first global Sponsor of the Paralympic Games. It is also the Official Payment Service and only card accepted at the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. Visa's Paralympic Sponsorship allows Visa to reach out to more than 500 million people with a disability worldwide, as well as to millions of their family members, with a message of inclusion.

Through this Sponsorship, Visa can provide access and relevance to the community of people with a disability to engage in dialogue, make them aware of existing Visa products and services, develop new technologies specifically for the disabled community's needs, extend issuance, and help create an affinity with Visa's 21,000 member banks. Visa and its member banks worldwide will help deliver the messages of the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games -- pursuit, strength, inspiration and celebration.

Visa was also the exclusive payment card and official payment service of the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece, and was the only card accepted at all Olympic Games venues for all official Olympic-related transactions.

At the Salt Lake Paralympic Games in March 2002, Visa also donated hundreds of tickets to the Primary Children's Medical Center so that children with a disability and their families could attend the events. Visa also created a first with "Snow Day" -- a meeting between Paralympians and a number of children with a disability undergoing rehabilitation. As a result of this event being so successful, Visa decided to replicate the concept with the Fun Day in Athens.

About Visa

Visa is the world's leading payment brand generating nearly three trillion U.S. dollars in annual card sales volume. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance in more than 150 countries. The Visa organization plays a pivotal role in developing innovative payment products and technologies to benefit its 21,000 member financial institutions and their cardholders. Visa is a leader in Internet based payments and is pioneering the creation of u-commerce, or universal commerce-the ability to conduct commerce anywhere, anytime, and any way. For more information, visit http://www.corporate.visa.com/. Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040916/LNTH013-ahttp://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040916/LNTH013-bPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comVisa International

Web site: http://www.corporate.visa.com/