Sallie Mae (NYSE: SLM) today announced
that delegates participating in its "Campaign for Literacy" during the
Republican National Convention donated more than 1,500 children's books to
benefit family literacy programs.
The Center for Literacy, Pennsylvania's oldest community-based family
literacy organization, will distribute the books throughout the Philadelphia
area, as well as in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where Sallie Mae has a servicing center
with more than 800 employees.
Sallie Mae's "Campaign for Literacy" was officially launched last week at
the Free Library of Philadelphia. Sallie Mae's Vice Chairman and CEO Albert
L. Lord was joined at the kick-off event by the Pennsylvania First Lady
Michele M. Ridge, along with Governors' spouses from across the country.
"The 'Campaign for Literacy' is an outstanding way to highlight the value
of literacy as the fundamental building block of success. Literacy is
essential to all learning, and we appreciate the generosity of delegates in
giving books to literacy programs in Pennsylvania," said Mrs. Ridge, who read
a book to 80 children attending the ceremony at the Free Library.
"I'm happy to join Sallie Mae to highlight family literacy as a national
priority and to help children and their parents in Philadelphia and Wilkes-
Barre work together to improve reading and literacy skills," Mrs. Ridge
continued.
Mr. Lord said, "We thank Mrs. Ridge for her tireless commitment to
literacy and to improving the lives of the people of Pennsylvania. We hope
that our efforts, along with Mrs. Ridge's support, will further the national
dialogue on the need for improving family literacy."
Joining Mrs. Ridge in her support of Sallie Mae's literacy program is
Texas First Lady Laura Bush. Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. Bush sent a joint letter to
GOP convention delegates, encouraging them to donate a book through Sallie
Mae's "Campaign for Literacy" book drive.

Sallie Mae, founded 27 years ago and headquartered in Reston, Va., is the
nation's leading provider of financial services for postsecondary education
and the country's largest provider of funding for education loans. The
company currently owns and manages loans for 5.3 million borrowers and also
provides parents, students and educators with comprehensive information on the
financial aid process. Since 1990, Sallie Mae has been a leading sponsor of
Reading is Fundamental (RIF), the oldest and largest literacy organization in
the country. RIF promotes literacy by helping children discover the joy of
books. Sallie Mae purchases books and nameplates for local school districts,
and employees donate their time to distribute and read the books to children.

The Center for Literacy (CFL) is the nation's largest and Pennsylvania's
oldest community-based, nonprofit adult literacy organization. CFL's mission
is to provide free literacy instruction and a wide range of other literacy
services that respond to the diversity of individuals and enable learners to
meet their goals. Over 400 volunteers and more than 40 dedicated staff
members help students achieve their personal and/or job related goals.

The Free Library of Philadelphia is the City of Philadelphia's public
library system consisting of 49 branch libraries, three regional libraries,
the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and the Central Library.
More than 300 professional librarians answer over 2.7 million reference
questions each year at the Free Library. In FY00, 482,000 cardholders checked
out more than six million books and other materials, and more than one million
visitors used the Free Library's Web site.

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