Virginia Beach, Va. (October 30, 2006)- This Halloween, the employees of Meridian Group, a full-service advertising and public relations agency, will participate in an annual holiday tradition, a pumpkin carving contest for charity on October 31st. For the third consecutive year, employees will donate all carved pumpkins to the Mary Ellen Cox for Elderly Day Care in Virginia Beach.

“Giving back to the community plays as important a role as other Halloween traditions,” said Meridian Group CEO and founder Joe Takach. Though Halloween is generally honored with scary decorations and candy, celebrating the day by giving to others is the real treat.”

The carved pumpkins will be judged by fellow employees and given points for creativity and artistic expression. This will take place at Meridian Group’s office at 575 Lynnhaven Parkway at 10 a.m. Photo opportunities can be coordinated upon request.

Additional photos opportunities will be available at 1pm at the Mary Ellen Cox for Elderly Day Care or can be provided via email upon request. For more information please contact Lindsay Rutherford at (757) 340-7425 or via email at lindsay@themeridiangroup.com.

ABOUT MERIDIAN GROUP:
Meridian Group, one of the fastest growing agencies in the mid-Atlantic region, specializes in consumer and business-to-business accounts in the financial services, travel and tourism, health care, multi-outlet retail, real estate and industrial/corporate sectors.

Headquartered in Virginia with offices in Florida and New York, Meridian Group has grown from two to more than 50 employees since its establishment in 1980 and has served more than 225 clients including Palace Resorts, Colee Hammock, STIHL Inc., APM Terminals, Bon Secours, Kiawah Island, Grand Furniture, Wounded Warrior Project and more.

Providing comprehensive marketing solutions to clients in North America and the Caribbean, Meridian Group is a member of TAAN (Transworld Advertising Agency Network) and operates under "The Why? Philosophy," an exclusive six-step process designed to uncover the core issues of most communications problems. For more information, go to www.themeridiangroup.com or tmg3.com.