December 6, 2002 — Vocalist/songwriter Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty has written and recorded a seasonal song titled "A New York Christmas." The single, which is shipping to radio stations nationwide today, is being released to support the Blythedale Children's Hospital in Westchester, New York. For the past two years, Thomas has performed at the hospital for an annual holiday fund-raising concert hosted by New York radio station WPLJ. On Friday, December 20th, Thomas will make his third consecutive appearance at the event.

"A New York Christmas" will be commercially available as a digital download single only, with all net proceeds donated to the Blythedale Children's Hospital. Consumers who have purchased the new Matchbox Twenty album, More Than You Think You Are, with a special DownloadCard inside will be able to download the song for free from the band's website, www.matchboxtwenty.com, where information on Blythedale will be posted.

Written by Thomas, "A New York Christmas" was produced by Matt Serletic, who also played keyboards, with additional musical support from Matchbox guitarist Kyle Cook, guitarist Mike Stern, Santana bassist Benny Rietveld, and drummer Rodney Holmes.

About Blythedale Children's Hospital: Blythedale Children's Hospital is dedicated to improving the health status and quality of life of children with complex medical and rehabilitative needs. Founded more than 100 years ago, Blythedale has been a leader in developing innovative, multi-disciplinary inpatient and ambulatory programs, as well as a community resource for children with a variety of medical concerns. Blythedale serves youngsters from birth through age 19 without regard to sex, financial ability, religion or race. Through its inpatient and day hospital programs, it treats more than 300 children daily. In addition, the hospital provides diagnosis and treatment for hundreds of outpatients, with a wide range of specialties. Blythedale is the only hospital in New York State with its own separate public school on site, uniquely designated to serve the special needs of its children. It is also the only independent, free-standing children's hospital in the state.

The hospital offers a diverse menu of volunteer opportunities for both young and old, including its Circle of Friends, a group of committed individuals whose hope is to develop partnerships with members of the community, sharing time, talents, and resources while working toward a common goal with Blythedale to improve and brighten the lives of children. In addition, its Corporate Partners in Care program was developed in response to a growing desire from the surrounding corporate community for increased opportunities for involvement with the hospital. Blythedale also relies heavily on the generosity of its donors in order to develop new services and expand existing ones. For more information, please visit www.blythedale.org.