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AT&T Foundation Provides $1.5 Million Technology Access Grant to League of United Latin American Citizens .
Grant Builds on Success of LULAC Empower Hispanic America with Technology Initiative

June 30, 2006

Contacts: Eric Hausken , (512) 495-7168, ehausken@attnews.us
Lizette Jenness Olmos, (202) 365-4553, ljolmos@lulac.org
 

MILWAUKEE, Wis., June 30, 2006 — The AT&T Foundation — the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc. — today announced a $1.5 million grant to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) at the organization’s 77th annual convention as part of AT&T’s new signature initiative to provide technology access to underserved communities.

Building upon the success of the AT&T Foundation’s $1 million grant to LULAC in 2004, the $1.5 million grant will be used to develop 36 new community technology centers in low-income Hispanic communities through LULAC’s Empower Hispanic America with Technology initiative. The funds will also enable LULAC to maintain 23 current locations established under the previous grant, through which more than 55,000 users received access and instruction on computer technology.

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The grant will provide each new facility with computer equipment, personnel support, high speed Internet service and videoconferencing. New sites will be selected based on a competitive process, in which organizations that demonstrate the most need and innovative application of technology will receive a grant. LULAC plans to make the 36 new technology centers operational within six months. Compared with the 2004 grant initiative, the new AT&T Foundation grant will allow LULAC to reach more than two and a half times the number of users. Of the 36 new centers, eight will be housed in LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC), and 28 will be implemented at non-LNESC locations.

Centers created by the 2004 AT&T Foundation grant include:

“Having access to the latest advances in communications technologies and the knowledge to use it is key to achieving economic success in today’s digital world,“ said Wisconsin State Representative Pedro Colon. “I am excited about the benefits this grant will bring to the Latino community.”

“We commend Rep. Colón for his leadership in supporting programs to provide technology access to underserved communities,” said Laura Sanford, president of the AT&T Foundation. “Education and economics have proved to be inextricably linked to access to and use of technology. Our support for the Empower Hispanic America with Technology initiative reflects the company’s core focus on strengthening education and community development opportunities to improve lives and communities through technology.”

The LULAC-affiliated centers provide access to and instruction on modern computer technology in addition to assistance with résumés, college application preparation, GED preparation, financial aid research, and online citizenship and job-search programs. Program participants use high speed Internet access, computer equipment and basic office applications software to develop job skills, research career options, educational opportunities and other resources.

Clients served are low-income and/or first-generation American Hispanic youth and adults, the majority of whom have never used a personal computer and do not have one at home. While a higher percentage of Hispanics are employed compared with any other ethnic group (64 percent employment rate versus 63 percent for the next highest, Current Population Survey, April 2006), Hispanics are far more likely than the average American to be among the working poor. Empower Hispanic America with Technology is aimed directly at combating these inequities by giving Hispanics the necessary skills to compete in today’s technology-driven workplaces.

“LULAC is delighted with the tremendous support and partnership developed with AT&T to bring the latest technologies to the Hispanic community. The first grant was able to assist more than 50,000 Latinos in its initial year alone, and with this continued support, we expect to more than double that number,” said LULAC Executive Director Brent Wilkes.

AT&T’s new signature initiative is a landmark three-year $100 million philanthropic initiative that connects families and communities with technology tools that can improve lives. The program will provide technology access, tools and training to low-income families, underserved communities and the organizations that work to strengthen communities.

AT&T and the AT&T Foundation support efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide, particularly initiatives with an emphasis on education and technology and those that benefit underserved populations. Since 1996, the AT&T Foundation has contributed more than $40 million in grants to organizations serving Hispanic communities across the country. In 2005, the AT&T Foundation awarded 23 percent of its funding to organizations that primarily serve Hispanic communities.

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About LULAC
The League of the United Latin American Citizen (www.lulac.org) is the oldest and largest member based Latino civil rights organization in the United States. It advances the economic conditions, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.

About the AT&T Foundation
The AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc., supports programs that build communities and improve access to information technologies, technology training and professional skills development. The AT&T Foundation will provide more than $60 million in 2006 in charitable contributions, thereby placing it among the top five largest corporate foundations in the country. The AT&T Foundation combines over 40 years and $1.7 billion of philanthropic commitment to communities across the country.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. is one of the world's largest telecommunications holding companies and is the largest in the United States. Operating globally under the AT&T brand, AT&T companies are recognized as the leading worldwide providers of IP-based communications services to business and as leading U.S. providers of high speed DSL Internet, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. AT&T Inc. holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which is the No. 1 U.S. wireless services provider with 55.8 million wireless customers. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and AT&T products and services is available at www.att.com. AT&T products and services are provided in specific geographic areas by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc.