7.12.2002 ET

(CSRwire) NEW YORK, New York - The AT&T Foundation today announced $105,000 in grants to five organizations that create expanded opportunities for Charleston, South Carolina, residents, particularly African-Americans, other minorities, women and kids.

"Over the past ten years, we've given over $1 million to education, arts and community service organizations in South Carolina," said Esther Silver-Parker, president of the AT&T Foundation and executive vice president, AT&T Corporate Affairs. "These grants reflect our commitment to improving the quality of life where our customers, our employees and our shareowners live and work."

The organizations receiving grants are:

· Trident Urban League, for a youth development program serving teens ages 14-19;
· 100 Black Men of Charleston, for a family mentoring program;
· Arts Forms & Theatre Concepts, for a production relating to the African-American experience;
· The Center for Occupational Research and Development, for a 12-week Web-based course in math and algebra for K-12 teachers;
· The Child and Family Development Center, for the launch of Parent University, a program offering classes leading to high school graduation equivalency degrees.

"These programs were carefully chosen because of their potential to impact the Charleston area," said Silver-Parker. "We are committed to facilitating initiatives that promote economic and cultural growth for all residents, especially those who are less advantaged."

Trident Urban League, subsidiary of the National Urban League, provides opportunities for all people, especially African Americans, other minorities and women, to achieve self-sufficiency and economic equality through education, employment and social advancement.

100 Black Men of Charleston created the Family Mentoring Program to provide training to parents, especially fathers, for mentoring youth at risk.

Arts Forms & Theatre Concepts continues to fill the cultural void of ethnic-oriented entertainment.

The Center for Occupational Research and Development aims to improve teachers' own math skills and understanding in order to improve their teaching of math and student learning of math.

The Child and Family Development Center provides pre-schooling to 3-4-year-old minority children and adult education programs for their parents to enable them to be full partners in their children's education.

For more information on the AT&T Foundation, go to http://www.att.com/foundation.

AT&T (www.att.com) is among the world's premier voice, video and data communications companies, serving consumers, businesses and government. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company runs the largest, most sophisticated communications network and is the largest cable operator in the U.S. The company is a leading supplier of data, Internet and managed services for the public and private sectors, and offers outsourcing, consulting and networking-integration to large businesses and government. Serving nearly 60 million consumers, AT&T is a market leader in consumer communications services and operates AT&T WorldNet® Service, a leading Internet access service that has garnered several awards for outstanding performance and customer service.

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