PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 3, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth Di Leo
2611 Ulysses St. NE,
Minneapolis, MN 55418
612.789.2795
612.382.3582 (cell)
sal@salsbook.com

Former Orphan Gives Back, Now a Serra Club Member

Minneapolis, Minnesota (March 3, 2004)
On a cold March day in 1963, police escorted four hungry and dirty children through the doors of the Guardian Angel Home in Joliet, Illinois. Sal Di Leo, now 50, of northeast Minneapolis, was one of those children.

"When the police took us away we were crying, fighting and hanging on to our mother. It was a sad day. I thought I would never get over it. As I look back now, however, it was one of the best days of my life. If it were not for the nuns and the loving orphanage we were placed in, I think I would probably be dead or in jail," explained Di Leo.

Today, Sal Di Leo, is a member of the North Minneapolis Serra Club and proud to be a college graduate who is happily married to his wife of 25 years with whom he has raised two daughters studying in college. Now, Di Leo wants to give back.

Sal's recently written book, Did I Ever Thank You, Sister?, (www.salsbook.com) is a memoir of his orphanage experiences and the years spent overcoming struggles in life to get through as an adult. Most important, it is a special tribute to the love and care he was given from so many kind people who came into his life and lent him a helping hand. The book  is his way of saying 'thank you' to the nuns and all the other good people along the way that made all the difference in his life.

"The proceeds from the sale of the book are going to build a free retreat center in northern Minnesota for nuns. My wife and I have named it St. Francis Lodge (www.stfrancislodge.org)," Sal adds.

In just the past few weeks Di Leo has also embarked on a major fund raising project to give better chances to other kids who are in the same circumstance he was in as a child. With the help of Risdall Advertising Agency, Clear Channel Media Network, and PAX TV 4, all in the Twin Cities market, he has orchestrated the launch of a substantial campaign to educate the Twin Cities market about the need to help build Gift of Mary Children's Home for homeless children, in Eagan, Minnesota. "We are hoping many individuals and businesses in this community will jump on board for such a noble cause. We want to save a lot of kids. I believe there is a need for such a place today as there was when I was a child," Sal concludes.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Di Leo at 612.382.3582 (cell) / 612.789.2795, 2611 Ulysses St. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418, or sal@salsbook.com

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