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Mannatech (NASDAQ-MTEX) has provided a mass donation to benefit Houston residents affected by Hurricane Ike on Friday, Sept. 19, 2008. The donation included $10,000 of food and water, in addition to nearly 6,000 boxes of Mannatech nutritional supplement products.

Mannatech CEO Wayne Badovinus and other executives were on hand Friday morning as the company loaded a truck filled with 5,400 pounds of relief supplies for victims. The company worked with State Representative Senfronia Thompson to identify relief stations most in need. Five Mannatech staff members traveled to northeast Houston to help distribute the supplies.

“Having been in business in Texas for the past 15 years we believe it’s important to help fellow Texans in need,” said Wayne Badovinus, president and CEO of Mannatech. “Helping others is a way of life for our employees and represents the heart of our company.”

Mannatech staff selected two products, MannaBears™ supplements and MannaBars™ nutrition bars, to send the children and adults affected by the hurricane.

This is not the first time that Mannatech has been charitable. They have sponsored athletes in the Olympics and have remained active in the communities they represent. While the company (which is also based in Texas) has had a bit of a rough year, it’s great to see that in times of need, Mannatech finds the time to give back.

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Mannatech announced that one of their own Team Mannatech members, Nancy Lieberman, has just signed a contract to play temporarily for the Detroit Shock. What makes this news even more unbelievable is that Lieberman is 50 years old.

The Shock asked Lieberman to play for a seven day stretch when Cheryl Ford was forced to sit out with an injury. Lieberman is officially the oldest woman to play professional basketball in the WNBA.

Lieberman has been using Mannatech products as part of her training regime for over 12 years. She was first introduced to the company and its supplements when she attempted a comeback at the age of 38. Former NBA all-star Otis Birdsong recommended the products when Lieberman came to him for advice. Lieberman was shocked at how well the products worked and how they made her feel. While that comeback attempt was not successful, Lieberman was convinced of the effectiveness of the Mannatech products and has been a spokesperson for the company ever since.

“In 1997, when I was trying to come back to basketball at the tender age of 38, no one thought I could do it,” Lieberman said. “Using Mannatech products, I was able to improve my performance and become a successful player in the WNBA. Today, I’m the only woman in the WNBA who is playing professional basketball at age 50 and I enjoy telling my players, friends and family about the success I’ve had with Mannatech products.”

Lieberman is an Olympic medalist, three time college All-American and a member of both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She was previously known as “Lady Magic” during her college career. Today Lieberman does commentary for ESPN and is also one of 163 athletes who make up the Team Mannatech Athletic squad. The Teams goal is to promote and spread the word on the benefits of adding the Mannatech products to a training program. All Mannatech products are free of harmful chemicals and all have been approved by the World Anti Doping Agency.

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Mannatech, the health and wellness company, based in Coppell Texas, is expecting that more than a dozen of their “Team Mannatech” athletes will take part in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Team Mannatech Athletes are a group of elite athletes who represent healthy living and aim to serve as role models for the wellness movement. The team includes Olympic hopefuls that represent many countries, a torch bearer and two athletes competing in their Paralympics.

“We are overjoyed for our athletes as they prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games,” said former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Butch Johnson, senior director of community affairs and sports marketing for Mannatech. “Each of them embodies commitment to his or her respective sport and the resilience to reach the highest level of competition.”

Team Mannatech athletes add to their daily fitness regimen with Mannatech products and supplements. Mannatech supports the efforts of the World Anti Doping Agency and all of their products contain all natural ingredients which are safe and in compliance with all Olympic regulations.

The U.S. contingent includes Christal Ransom, judo; and Clarissa Chun, Spenser Mango and Joseph Betterman, wrestling. Jayson Jones, representing Belize, will compete in track.

Other athletes from Autralia, Belize, New Zealand and the United Kingdom will represent team Mannatech and their respective countries. For a full list of team Mannatech athletes, you can check here.

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Sports Illustrated has just announced their list of the 20 toughest athletes and Mannatech was thrilled that one their own made the list. Canadian Womens Hockey player, Hayley Wickenheiser, a member of Team Mannatech and perhaps one of the most famous and well respected woman’s hockey player in the world came in at number 20 on the list. Hayley is a gold and silver medalist in hockey and is also one of the premier softball players in Canada.

The list was published on the Sports Illustrated site on April 1st. Hayley is one of only two women to have made the list. Haley has some great company on the list, also named by SI were Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods.

Team Mannatech’s goal is to support the company and its products and spread the word on the health benefits that are provided by using healthy natural supplements like, PhytoMatrix and Ambrotose, two sports minded supplements created to help athletes perform at a high level. Team Mannatech’s members include top ranked athletes from all over the globe in every major sport, from football and basketball to bowling and the rodeo.

“Mannatech and Team Mannatech are extremely proud to have Hayley on our team,” said former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Butch Johnson, (”Coach” of Team Mannatech) Mannatech’s senior director of community affairs and sports marketing. “Hayley is a fierce competitor who has been a four-time world champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist (Salt Lake City 2002, Turin 2006), a silver Olympic medalist (Nagano 1998) and has been named one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in Hockey’ by The Hockey News.”"

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