DALLAS, May 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, Kimberly-Clark celebrates the 21^st year of the Bright Futures program and is awarding college scholarships totaling $1.26 million to 63 children of K-C employees across 17 states and Canada. Bright Futures scholarship grants are worth up to $20,000, or $5,000 per school year, for full-time students attending accredited colleges and universities. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $35 million in scholarships to more than 1800 students.

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Recipients were chosen based on academic achievement, leadership, work experience and involvement in extracurricular activities.

"Kimberly-Clark is pleased to be able to offer a program like Bright Futures Scholars to the children of our employees," said Tom Falk, chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark.  "There is no more important investment we can make than in our next generation of leaders.  We wish them all the best with their college experience and beyond."

The average GPA for this year's scholarship class is 3.94, and awardees will attend such top colleges and universities as Harvard, Duke, Columbia, Cornell, and Stanford.  Past scholarship recipients have gone on to pursue successful careers in medicine, education, the armed forces and engineering.

For more information on this year's award recipients, visit www.kimberly-clark.com.

About the Kimberly-Clark Foundation

The Kimberly-Clark Foundation is the charitable arm of Kimberly-Clark Corporation and is dedicated to supporting and strengthening families around the world. For more information, visit http://www.kimberly-clark.com/ourcompany/community/kc_foundation.aspx.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 141-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation