City Parks Foundation Honors ING at 2007 Annual Gala

City Parks Foundation, on behalf of the 600,000 people served each year through its free arts, education and sports programs in New York City parks, will honor Thomas J. McInerney, ING Group Executive Board member, chairman and chief executive officer, ING Insurance Americas, with the "Parks and People Award" for sponsorship of City Parks Foundation's track and field program and support of New York City's parks.

The award is being presented tonight at City Parks Foundation's 2007 Annual Gala at the Metropolitan Club in New York City. The gala is City Parks Foundation's biggest and most important fundraising event of the year. Last year's event raised over $520,000 for City Parks Foundation and its free programs in parks, including education, arts and sports instruction programs for youth, concerts, theater and dance festivals, and Central Park SummerStage.

"ING is making an enormous difference in the well-being of our city's youth, in the health of our city's parks and in the vitality of the neighborhoods around them," said David Rivel, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation. "Through their financial support, their ideas, and their hands- on contributions, ING is forging a very special partnership with City Parks Foundation and the people we serve across the city. We thank Tom McInerney and the entire ING organization for contributing to the betterment of New York's parks and neighborhoods."

Since 2003, ING has been one of City Parks Foundation's most outstanding supporters, having contributed over $450,000. Largely through ING's sponsorship of City Parks Foundation's free track & field instruction program for city youth, the program has more than doubled the number of parks in which it is offered across all five boroughs. The program is now offered at 13 parks citywide, tripling the number of youth participating each season which now serves over 1,600 youth each summer. Support for the youth track & field program comes from ING's charitable initiative, the ING Run for Something Better, which is tied to the company's race sponsorships.

"I am truly honored to receive this award," said Tom McInerney. "As the premier sponsor of long-distance running events across the country, including the ING New York City Marathon, and through the ING Run for Something Better program which funds running and fitness education programs for kids, ING is committed to encouraging healthy lifestyles. Starting small, setting goals and staying committed for the long run is our advice for both financial and physical fitness. Since it began, kids participating in the ING Run for Something Better program have run approximately 238,000 miles -- enough miles to reach the moon. "

ING also helped to pioneer the corporate membership program of City Parks Foundation. As a founding corporate member, ING has not only helped to bring more free programs to more parks and neighborhoods across the city, but also brought together ING staff for memorable concerts, family events, and volunteer projects in the city's parks.

About ING

ING Groep, N.V. is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to more than 75 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of more than 120,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.

In the U.S., the ING family of companies offers a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients, including life insurance, retirement plans, annuities mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, employee benefits, financial planning and reinsurance. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves more than 15 million customers across the nation.

  For more information, visit www.ing.com.

  About Tom McInerney

Thomas J. McInerney is a Member of the Executive Board of ING Group and Chairman & CEO of ING Insurance Americas. He has responsibility for all of ING's operations in the Americas.

In the Americas, ING Insurance employs 28,000 people and has operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Peru, where ING offers a range of wealth accumulation and asset management products and participates in the pension, life, annuity, health, auto and property & casualty insurance businesses.

He joined the company in December 2000 when ING acquired Aetna Financial Services. He was president of Aetna FS, a leading retirement, investment management, and financial services company with $81 billion in assets under management or administration. McInerney joined Aetna in 1978, and held a variety of investment, business and corporate positions in his career with the company.

McInerney graduated with honors from Colgate University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He received a Master of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in Finance and Investments, from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College in 1982.

He is a member of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), and a member of the Financial Services Roundtable. He is also a member of the MBA Advisory Board for the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and the board of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

About City Parks Foundation

City Parks Foundation is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The organization works in over 700 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports and education programs and helping citizens to support their parks on a local level. Its programs and community-building initiatives reach more than 600,000 New Yorkers each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.

Contact: Philip Craft

(212) 360-8162

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SOURCE: ING U.S.

CONTACT: Philip Craft of ING U.S., +1-212-360-8162

Web site: http://www.ing.com/us