[February 28, 2013]

Winners Named in Great American Classroom Makeover

Great American Financial Resources^®, Inc., is helping to revitalize classrooms with the fifth annual Great American Classroom Makeover. The national contest gives educators the opportunity to nominate classrooms to receive cash for necessary updates or supplies. Classroom winners also receive a matching prize for their school.

Ten finalists were selected from more than 575 entries. The winners were determined by an online public vote throughout February 2013. More than 65,000 votes were received, and the winners are:

• Mindy Shaw, Riverside Elementary School - Chattaroy, WA
  $5,000 for Shaw's classroom, $5,000 for Riverside Elementary School
  In Shaw's rural eastern Washington school, her technology lab contains broken chairs and 30 antiquated, slow computers - only half of which operate consistently. This Classroom Makeover will help Riverside students in kindergarten through fifth grade become tech-savvy. Ms. Shaw commented, "As teachers, we are constantly asked to do more with less and we do so…because we love our kids and live to teach."

• Sandra Wurdeman, Mosinee Middle School Library - Mosinee, WI
  $2,500 for the library, $2,500 for Mosinee Middle School
  Wurdeman's school library, originally built in the 1930s, received 20,000 visitors last school year. She seeks updated wiring, sound tiles, shelving and carpet to help support her students' current needs. Additionaly, a Classroom Makeover will help create a handicapped accessible instructional space with interactive technologies.

• Mary Gage, Steppingstone School - Farmington Hills, MI
  
  
  
  
  $1,000 for Gage's classroom, $1,000 for Steppingstone School
  How many schools accept the challenge of converting a used car dealership into a school Gage will use a Classroom Makeover to create a weather-tight, temperature-controlled environment that supports great art and science, complete with wash basins, canvases and more. According to Ms. Gage, "Receiving this grant will not only finish a project that never ends, it will allow it to get started!"

Representatives from Great American Financial Resources will be visiting the winning teachers during March and April 2013 to present the awards. For more information about the winners, visit www.TeachersDeserveTheBest.com.

About Great American Financial Resources

The subsidiaries of Great American Financial Resources offer retirement solutions through the sale of traditional fixed and indexed annuities in the education, bank and individual markets. The company's subsidiaries include Great American Life Insurance Company^® and Annuity Investors Life Insurance Company^®. GAFRI is a member of the Great American Insurance Group, whose roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. The members of Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. AFG's common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "AFG". Learn more at www.GAFRI.com.

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