Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages Sponsors National Literacy Symposium in Boston; Company Efforts Focus On Children's Literacy.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 1998--Bell Atlantic, the world's largest publisher of Yellow Pages shopping directories, today announced it is donating $20,000 to help sponsor Children and Books at a Crossroads, a national children's literacy symposium at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.

The event, organized by The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance and the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, will feature keynote speeches by renown author and poet Maya Angelou and David McCullough, author and historian.

"This symposium is the critical first step in creating a national-level campaign aimed at getting and keeping young people reading," said Mary Brigid Barrett, founder and president of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance.

A recent survey by the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that some 75 percent of fourth-graders in the United States were not proficient readers. Furthermore, the survey found that less than half of those students did not have basic reading skills.

Statistics such as these convinced the Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages to create a comprehensive outreach program to support children's literacy programs. Earlier this year, the company donated $5,000 to ReadBoston, the city's children's literacy advocacy group, and has vowed to continue working with literacy organizations throughout its marketplace. The symposium sponsorship is just one component of the Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages' literacy efforts.

"It seems that every day there are new reports about how reading to our children can provide them with a positive start in life," said Lou Laste, staff director - Community Relations, Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages. "That's why we are so excited about our company-wide support of children's literacy programs and about the awareness this national symposium will raise regarding the issue."

The world's largest publisher of Yellow Pages shopping directories, Bell Atlantic publishes more than 500 White and Yellow Pages directories in 13 states and Washington, D.C. Its affiliate, Bell Atlantic Electronic Commerce Services, is the creator of BigYellow(SM), a leading national online shopping service.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With more than 41 million telephone access lines and more than 7 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, as well as market leaders in wireless services. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries.

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