AT&T WIRELESS AND AMERICAN RED CROSS LAUNCH NATIONWIDE PROGRAM TO MAKE SCHOOLS SAFER "Boston Public" star helps to highlight initiative, part of expanded relationship that includes volunteerism and disaster relief support Contact: Stacey Grissom Office: (202) 639-3310 Cell: (202) 550-3793 Pager: (877) 771-1909 grissoms@usa.redcross.org Contact: Heather Overstreet Office: (202) 639-3525 Cell: (202) 550-2047 overstreeh@usa.redcross.org National Headquarters 430 17th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006 www.redcross.org Editor's note: A sound byte package of actor Chi McBride, star of "Boston Public" and American Red Cross national celebrity cabinet member on the importance of school safety will be available for broadcast outlets during National School Safety Week, October, 20-26. Interested outlets should contact Stacey Grissom at (202) 639-3310 or grissoms@usa.redcross.org. WASHINGTON, D.C., October 3, 2002 — The American Red Cross is kicking off its School Safety Initiative, a program aimed at helping schools prevent, prepare for and respond to violent incidents, natural disasters and other emergencies. AT&T Wireless is sponsoring a pilot of the nationwide initiative in nine Red Cross chapters.* This operational pilot test of the program is designed to evaluate and measure program delivery, components and learning outcomes in the area of prevention, preparedness and response. As part of the American Red Cross national celebrity cabinet, star of the FOX hit series "Boston Public" Chi McBride is helping to bring attention to the critical issue of school safety. "Safe schools are a priority for us all. It doesn't matter whether you have a child or not, this is a community issue and we all have a responsibility to help ensure all children have a safe environment in which to learn," says McBride. "Teaching kids how to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies empowers them with the knowledge to be safe, stay safe." The initiative supports current school curriculum and builds on the specific expertise and mission of the Red Cross, including disaster preparedness and training in first aid and CPR. In addition, the Red Cross fundamental principles of neutrality and impartiality are highlighted as tools that help students, parents and faculty work towards creating safer schools. The program will also include leadership training and tolerance education. The School Safety Initiative targets school-aged children between the ages of 5 to 18 years old but also reaches out to parents, teachers and school staff. The goals of the School Safety Initiative are to: reduce the incidence of school violence and violence committed by youth outside of school; better prepare school youth, teachers, staff and parents when faced with unexpected situations related to violence, natural and human-caused disasters and other emergencies; and improve the response to and minimize the impact of violent incidents and other emergencies. "The Red Cross and AT&T Wireless are strongly committed to the School Safety Initiative. We believe that the initiative will help educators create safer school environments and significantly reduce school violence," said Skip Seitz, senior vice president, Growth and Integrated Development, American Red Cross. "We are honored that AT&T Wireless is sponsoring the pilot program and appreciate the many services that the company provides to Red Cross chapters and communities nationwide." The School Safety Initiative is just one of the initiatives that the Red Cross and AT&T Wireless are working on together. The two organizations have also teamed up on following: Telecommunications Disaster Service (TDS): For more than a decade, AT&T Wireless has provided wireless phones, service and technical consultation at no charge to support Red Cross disaster relief efforts around the country. The company recently expanded its support adding eight cities to this program, providing 200 phones and service in the event of a disaster. Certify 25 Percent of Workforce in CPR /First Aid Training Over Next Two Years: AT&T Wireless offers its employees Red Cross training to provide critical lifesaving skills and enhanced home and workplace safety. Volunteerism: AT&T Wireless has committed 130,000 hours of employee volunteer service to local community groups including the Red Cross. The history of the relationship between the Red Cross and AT&T Wireless began in August 1992 in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. The Red Cross called on AT&T Wireless for technical support as well as thousands of wireless phones and services. The result of that initial collaboration was the formation of AT&T Wireless' Telecommunications Disaster Services (TDS). Since that time, AT&T Wireless has responded to more than 120 national and local disasters, valued at more than $20 million in giving. About AT&T Wireless AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE) is the largest independently traded wireless carrier in the United States, following our split from AT&T on July 9, 2001. We operate one of the largest digital wireless networks in North America. With more than 19.95 million subscribers, and full-year 2001 revenues exceeding $13.6 billion, AT&T Wireless is committed to being among the first to deliver the next generation of wireless products and services. Today, we offer customers high-quality mobile wireless communications services, voice or data, to businesses or consumers, in the U.S. and internationally. AT&T Wireless Customer Advantage is our commitment to ensure that customers have the right equipment, the right calling plan, and the right customer services options -- today and tomorrow. For more information, please visit us at www.attwireless.com About the American Red Cross The American Red Cross is dedicated to saving lives, easing suffering and restoring hope at home and around the world. The Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to the victims of more than 67,000 disasters nationwide and has been the primary supplier of lifesaving blood and blood products in the United States for more than 50 years. Last year, the Red Cross also trained almost 12 million people in vital lifesaving skills and delivered more than 21 million locally relevant community services. The organization also assisted international disaster and conflict victims in close to 40 locations around the globe, and its emergency communication centers processed 1.2 million calls in support of U.S. military families. **** *Pilot Chapters: American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter (Oakland, CA); American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma Chapter (Oklahoma City, OK); American Red Cross of Seattle-King County (Seattle, WA); American Red Cross of the St. Paul Area Chapter (St Paul, MN); Camden County Chapter (Camden, NJ); Heartland Chapter (Omaha, NE); San Gabriel Valley Chapter (Pasadena, CA); St. Louis Area Chapter (St Louis, MO); and Summit County Chapter (Akron, O © Copyright 2002 The American National Red Cross. All Rights Reserved.        CONTACT US  |  SITE DIRECTORY  |  PRIVACY POLICY