Columbus, Ohio (NYSE: ABT) - Abbott today announced that ZonePerfect^® Nutrition Bars is launching the "live.create."campaign, partnering with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation to help restore instrumental music programs in America’s public schools.

The year-long partnership will help raise awareness for the Foundation by enabling ZonePerfect Nutrition Bar consumers to donate and help elementary and middle school students nourish their own discovery of the arts. Abbott Nutrition is donating a portion of proceeds from ZonePerfect bars to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, for a total of $120,000. The donation will assist in the Foundation's efforts to purchase instruments for schools in need of music education programs. 

As part of the campaign, beginning in March, during Music in Our Schools Month, the ZonePerfect brand will make stops in 12 cities – and hold special music and arts events at the "live.create." lounge from March 14 - 21 at the 2009 South by Southwest Festivals and Conferences in Austin, Texas, and another at Film Independent’s 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival from June 19 - 27. The "live.create." lounge in Austin and Los Angeles will each showcase a signature VH1 Save The Music Foundation music event, featuring emerging artists and local student musicians who've benefited from Foundation-funded programs, to bring the partnership to life. These ZonePerfect brand lounge and tour events will help culture-lovers fuel their passions for the latest in art, music and film.

• Beginning in March, and continuing through the end of the year, consumers can participate in the donation campaign by entering UPC codes from ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars online at www.ZonePerfect.com.  With every UPC code entered from a single bar, the makers of ZonePerfect will donate $0.05 and for every multi-pack carton UCP code, $0.50 will be donated to The VH1 Save the Music Foundation, for a total donation of $120,000.  Each code serves as an automatic sweepstakes entry to ZonePerfect's Win a Trip for Two to The 2009 VH1 Save the Music Foundation Gala in New York City.
• The ZonePerfect brand is a returning sponsor of the 2009 South by Southwest Festivals and Conferences – a 23-year-old event highlighting the latest in interactive media technology, independent filmmaking and more than 1,800 musical acts of all genres from around the globe on more than 80 stages throughout downtown Austin.
• The ZonePerfect brand will launch its inaugural sponsorship of Film Independent's 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival in June. Now in its 15th year, the Los Angeles Film Festival is recognized as a world-class event, providing the movie-loving public with access to filmmakers, scholars, critics, film industry professionals and emerging talent from around the world.
• Ten additional tour stops are scheduled for spring and summer 2009, including events at the Seattle International Film Festival, the Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park and Denver's Cherry Creek Arts Festival, and will feature performances with local musicians.  Students who have benefited from the VH1 Save The Music Foundation will be invited to perform at select tour stops.
• Festival visitors will sample ZonePerfect bars, including three new flavors of its popular Dark Chocolate Nutrition Bars – Dark Chocolate Caramel Pecan, Dark Chocolate Mocha and Dark Chocolate Cookies N' Creme – at each tour stop event.