(Langhorne, PA August, 2003) – As another summer season passes by, the management of Sesame Place, an Anheuser-Busch Theme Park, and the nation’s only theme park based on the Award winning television show, Sesame Street, reflects on a season of giving. Through various partnerships, Sesame Place and the Sesame Street characters were able to bring smiles to the faces of terminally ill children, provide a complimentary day of fun for military families and support the Sesame Place employees through college scholarship opportunities.

GRANTING WISHES
When The Make-A-Wish Foundation receives a request from a child who wants to meet Elmo, Big Bird or other stars from Sesame Street they turn to Sesame Place where the a Make-A-Wish child is given VIP treatment and a behind the scenes look at the park. Sesame Place and the Philadelphia chapter of The Make-A-Wish Foundation together granted 20 “Wish Requests” this year from children suffering with life threatening illnesses.

In 2003, Sesame Place welcomed over 100 families from Give Kids The World (GKTW). GKTW is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide a magical, cost-free vacation to the families of children with life-threatening illnesses. Families are able to visit Sesame Place on a complimentary basis once a year, as long as they present a valid “Give Kids the World Passport.”

On May 4, 2003 Sesame Place opened its door to more than 9,000 guests for the 16th annual Sesame Place Challenge for Variety Club. The largest event of it’s kind in the world, Sesame Place provided free admission to the park for Variety’s kids and their families. Sesame Place’s attractions are equipped with ramps or other special modifications to make them more accessible. These adjustments give disabled children, who might not participate on a normal operational park day the opportunity to “Meet the Challenge.” Each child’s effort earned him a victory medal at the end of the day.

Sesame Place also brought monthly “SMILES” to the patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) through the Joshua Kahan Fund (JKF). The JKF is fighting to cure pediatric leukemia and improve the quality of life for pediatric cancer patients and their families. Through a partnership with Sesame Place, the JKF designed a program to help pediatric cancer patients and their families "SMILE." Each child receives a visit from Elmo and his Sesame Street pals from Sesame Place along with a personalized picture and a special toy so they can remember their "SMILE" that day. The children are also invited for a complimentary visit to the park.

During the holiday season, the Sesame Place characters bring an extra “SMILE” to the kids of CHOP with a holiday show.

HONORING OUR TROOPS
As a tribute to the men and women of the U.S Armed Forces, the Anheuser-Busch Companies extended their gratitude and invited our troops and their families to be their guests of honor through Operation Salute. Sesame Place, along with five other Anheuser-Busch Theme Parks, offered a day of free admission to active duty Military, active and standby Reservists, and National Guardsmen, along with four of their direct dependents. Through the generosity of Anheuser-Busch, over 6,000 military families have enjoyed a day at Sesame Place. Operation Salute ends October 25, 2003 at Sesame Place.

SUPPORTING EDUCATION
Sesame Place plays a role in the education of those who work in the park each summer. Just recently, five $1,000 “Sesame Place Scholarship Awards” were awarded. The opportunity to apply for a scholarship was made available to all academically eligible seasonal employees. Candidates were judged on their written applications, covering topics from how they made a positive impact on the park’s guests, to demonstrating the Busch Entertainment Corporation’s four cornerstones; Make It Quality, Make It Safe, Make It Fun, Make It Memorable, in their everyday job performance.

It’s obvious that Sesame Place is much more than an interactive play experience for families with children ages 2-13. Beyond the goal of teaching children around the world how to share and grow amongst each other, the park management demonstrates the values of exhibiting generosity and kindness.

Sesame Place, named one of the top four theme parks in the Northeast by Family Fun magazine, is a 14-acre theme park 30 minutes north of Philadelphia and 90 minutes south of New York City. Sesame Place is a licensee of Sesame Workshop and a division of Busch Entertainment Company who owns Sea World, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove.

Sesame Place is open weekends only until October 25, 2003. Regular Admission is $37.95 and children under 2 are free. 2004 passports including Cookie Monster’s Passport and Big Bird’s Passport are on sale now and are good for the remainder of the 2003 season. For more information and general park information, call 215-752-7070. Sesame Place information is also available on the web at www.SesamePlace.com.