LITTLE SOULS, INC. a private, women-owned business specializing in the design, production and distribution of hand-made cloth dolls, finds itself center-stage this morning as the company welcomes a campaign stop by Vice President Al Gore, his newly-chosen running mate Senator Joe Lieberman and the Gore/Lieberman 2000 team, including Karenna Gore Schiff, Al Gore's daughter. The candidates are expected to speak about a variety of issues, with a focus on work/family policies and women in business.

The company was chosen for the spotlight because of its philosophy and mission, as much as its unique product. Founded in 1986 by Gretchen Wilson and Colleen Charleston, two women with no previous business experience, LITTLE SOULS was started with a commitment to create a diverse, respectful, safe, tolerant and family-friendly work environment, with a dedication to community and social responsibility. Today, the company employs a diverse staff of approximately 30 artisans who annually manufacture 25,000 to 35,000 dolls that are shipped around the world.

A key component of the company's mission is to teach and inspire women and children, both in their local community and across the globe, with the intent to encourage self-sufficiency and success through the art of dollmaking. As a young single mother, Gretchen Wilson began making the dolls for her own children when she couldn't afford to buy them toys. Now, she and her partner Colleen Charleston, who use the phrase "artists of the possible," are dedicated to helping other women reach for their own success. In the U.S., the company sends its artisans into the inner city to work with children. And LITTLE SOULS has organized and participated in cottage industry projects in Ghana, Guatemala, Armenia, Romania and Brazil, teaching village women and street girls self-awareness and independence.

LITTLE SOULS, INC. creates products that reflect the joy and spirit of children. Uniquely collectable, the LITTLE SOULS dolls are whimsical characters loved by kids and adults alike. With their big feet and funky, mismatched clothes, Little Souls depict a true-life spirit - the childlike awkwardness and vulnerability that we all feel in our journey through adulthood. Typical consumers include design-conscious adult women as well as traditional doll collectors. Some of the more "high-profile" LITTLE SOULS owners include Oprah Winfrey, Whitney Houston, Susan Sarandon, Demi Moore, Maya Angelou, Patti LaBelle and Maria Shriver. Just as America was built on the foundation of small business and entrepreneurship, LITTLE SOULS, INC. was built with nothing save grit and determination and a passion for creativity. And as the economy has grown, so has the company. This coming holiday season, the company's products will be featured as the holiday display for Saks Fifth Avenue's flagship store in Manhattan. For Gretchen Wilson and Colleen Charleston, two women who began with nothing more than a dream, LITTLE SOULS has turned into their own piece of the American Dream -- and an inspiration to women everywhere.

For more information on LITTLE SOULS, INC. please call Stefanie Leone / PR Concepts Unlimited, Inc., at 215-493-5389, or principals Gretchen Wilson or Colleen Charleston at 610-277-9950.

SOURCE LITTLE SOULS, INC.

CONTACT: Nina Zucker of Nina Zucker Associates, 610-667-0706, or mobile, 215-317-3549, for LITTLE SOULS, INC.; or Stefanie Leone of PR Concepts Unlimited, Inc., 215-493-5389, for LITTLE SOULS, INC.