ADVISORY/'Sailor of the Year' Honored on 'Nextel Night' at Padres Game - Nextel Reminds Americans to Donate Wireless Phones to Support Military Families.

News Editors/Assignment Desks

ADVISORY...Saturday (June 7)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

American Red Cross, the Padres and Nextel Communications Join

Forces to Create a Simple Way for All Americans to Support

Military Members and Their Families

WHAT:       Tomorrow during "Nextel Night" at the San Diego Padres
            game, the opening pitch will be thrown by the USS
            Constellation Sailor of the Year, Zamone Bennett. DK2
            Bennett is from Los Angeles and has been in the US Navy
            for four and a half years. He was named USS
            Constellation's 2002 Sailor of the Year based on his
            exemplary performance and outstanding accomplishments.
            Zamone joins us tonight along with his wife Rasheedah.

            The American Red Cross and Nextel Communications would
            like to take this opportunity to remind the San Diego
            community to participate in a national campaign for the
            American Red Cross by donating their old wireless phones
            at Nextel stores across the country. This nationwide
            DONATE A PHONE(R) campaign will help raise critical funds
            for the American Red Cross. After recycling and
            refurbishing the phones, Nextel will donate the net
            proceeds of the resale value, which averages $1.50 for
            each phone collected, to American Red Cross Armed Forces
            Emergency Services, the arm of the organization that
            supports service members and their families. The public
            can donate their phones and make tax-deductible cash
            donations to the American Red Cross at any one of the six
            Nextel stores located throughout the Greater San Diego
            Area.

WHEN:       Saturday, June 7, 2003 at 7:00 PM

WHY:        As long as U.S. troops are deployed - combat or not -
            there is a need to keep them connected with loved ones
            back home. Since January, demand for American Red Cross
            services has increased significantly:

            --  The American Red Cross estimates it will need
                approximately $8 million over the next several months
                to facilitate emergency communication, mobilize and
                deploy workers to affected areas, reach out to
                National Guard/Reservists and their families, and
                provide other vital services.

            --  The organization assisted 20,768 families worldwide in
                March through its 24/7 emergency communications
                network, which is connected to military installations,
                ships at sea and embassies located around the world.
                As compared to November 2002, the number of families
                served is up by more than 48 percent.

            --  There are 36 American Red Cross workers deployed to
                the Persian Gulf region to ensure troops receive
                urgent news from loved ones back home. Sixty-five
                percent of the messages delivered relate to the death
                or serious illness of a family member and 20 percent
                concern the arrival of a new son or daughter. The
                remaining messages relate to other urgent issues at
                home.

WHERE:      Qualcomm Stadium. Interested media should call contacts
            listed below to secure local interviews with the American
            Red Cross and Nextel representatives.

Any day of game creditional requests should be faxed to Padres Media Relations Department: 619/497-5454.