DALLAS, May 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark celebrates its 25^th year of the Bright Futures Scholarship Program by awarding $1.08 million in college scholarships this year to 54 children of Kimberly-Clark employees across 18 states and Canada. Since its inception, the program has awarded over $39 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 students.

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

"Our selection committee continues to be impressed by the caliber of students who apply for our Bright Futures scholarship," said Tom Falk, chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark. "We are proud to help the children of our employees pursue higher education and achieve their goals. There is no more important investment we can make than in our next generation of leaders."

The average GPA for this year's scholarship class is 3.88, and awardees will attend such top colleges and universities as University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame and Georgia Institute of Technology. Past scholarship recipients have gone on to pursue successful careers in medicine, education, the armed forces and engineering.

Click here for more information on this year's award recipients.

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 (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 Kimberly-Clark'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 No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in 80 countries. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the Company's 145-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Foundation