Foundation Donates $1 Million to The New York Times 9/11 Neediest Fund; Also, SBC to Match Donations from Its 390,000 Employees & Retirees

Business Wire, Sept 19, 2001

Business Editors & Technology Writers

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2001

The SBC Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications Inc., announced today that it will donate $1 million to The New York Times 9/11 Neediest Fund to aid victims of last week's terrorist attacks.

The NY Times 9/11 Neediest Fund was established to help local organizations provide relief to suffering families struck by death or injury in the World Trade Center calamity, both civilians and rescue workers.

Organizations benefiting from the fund include: Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service; The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York; Catholic Charities, Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens; The Children's Aid Society; The Community Service Society of New York; The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies; The Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York; The Fire Safety Foundation; The Police Foundation; and The John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

In addition, the SBC Foundation will provide an unlimited dollar- for-dollar match of contributions made by its more than 390,000 employees and retirees to the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, the "September 11th Fund" created by The United Way and The New York Community Trust, Catholic Charities, the International Association of Firefighters Fund (IAFF), United Jewish Communities Emergency Relief Fund, Communications Workers of America Disaster Relief Fund, NYC Public Private Initiatives (to aid families of Police, Fire, EMS and other city employees), and the SBC Pioneers 9-11-01 Fund.

"Through our contributions, the SBC Communications family extends our deepest sympathies to the families devastated by the horrible attacks of Sept. 11, and our gratitude for the heroic effort of the police, fire and emergency personnel," said Edward E. Whitacre, Jr., SBC chairman and CEO. "Like all Americans, we've been deeply touched by how our nation has responded to this tragedy and all of us at SBC are proud to help in any way."

Cingular Wireless, 60 percent owned by SBC, has loaned or donated more than 3,500 wireless phones, handheld data devices and other equipment, and is providing free airtime to numerous relief and rescue agencies.

The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. and its family of companies. In 2000, SBC, through Foundation and corporate giving, donated more than $95 million to support efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide. The Foundation places primary emphasis on supporting programs that help increase access to information technologies; broaden training and professional skills development; and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development -- especially for underserved populations. SBC has been named among America's Most Generous Companies for two consecutive years by Worth magazine (2000 & 2001).

SBC Communications Inc. (www.sbc.com) is a global communications leader. Through its trusted brands - Southwestern Bell, Ameritech, Pacific Bell, Nevada Bell, SNET and Sterling Commerce - and world-class network, SBC's affiliated companies provide a full range of data, networking, e-business and voice services, including local and long- distance, high-speed Internet access and data transport, voice and data network integration, messaging, directory advertising and publishing. In the United States, the company currently has 60.6 million access lines. SBC has a 60 percent equity interest in Cingular Wireless, its joint venture with BellSouth, which serves more than 21 million wireless customers. Internationally, SBC has telecommunications investments in 28 countries and has annual revenues that rank it among the largest Fortune 500 companies.

SOURCE: SBC Communications Inc.