Central American Resource Center to Receive Technology Upgrade from SBC Foundation, LULAC.

LOS ANGELES -- Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) Selected by LULAC to Receive Portion of $1 Million SBC Excelerator Technology Grant

The SBC Foundation - the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications Inc. - and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) jointly announced today the selection of CARECEN to benefit from a $1 million grant to LULAC in SBC Excelerator technology funding.

The grant is providing CARECEN with computer equipment, curriculum, training, and tech support as part of LULAC's Empower Hispanic America with Technology initiative. CARECEN joins with 22 other organizations throughout the 13-state SBC territory to provide access to technology resources and training opportunities for members of the Hispanic community.

The Empower Hispanic America with Technology initiative works to increase Hispanic educational attainment and economic empowerment. According to recent U.S. Census Bureau data, just 57 percent of the Hispanic population over the age of 25 has graduated from high school, and Hispanics are more likely than the national average to be unemployed or underemployed. LULAC organizations and community partners are using the $1 million in SBC Excelerator grants to offer enhanced technology access, training, and services. Visitors to LULAC-affiliated centers will use high-speed Internet access, computer equipment, and basic office applications software to develop job skills, research career options, college opportunities, scholarships, GED preparation, financial aid and other resources.

"SBC Excelerator grants are providing Hispanic communities with the tools we need to empower ourselves in today's digital marketplace," said Miguel A. Fernandez, LULAC Director of Program Development. "By providing access to technology and the training to use it effectively, we are opening new doors of opportunity, helping Hispanics achieve their full educational and economic potential. Our partnership with SBC Communications reflects our shared commitment to programs and services that serve the Hispanic community."

In addition to CARECEN, LULAC has selected the following organizations to benefit from the SBC Excelerator grant:

--San Francisco, California - LULAC National Educational Service Center (LNESC)

--Oxnard, California - El Concilio del Condado de Ventura

--Little Rock, Arkansas - La Casa Health Network

--Hartford, Connecticut - Connecticut Assoc. for United Spanish Action, Inc.

--Chicago, Illinois - LNESC

--Chicago, Illinois - Central States SER-Jobs for Progress

--Chicago, Illinois - Instituto del Progresso Latino

--Waukegan, Illinois - SER-Jobs for Progress of Lake County

--South Bend, Indiana - La Casa de Amistad Youth and Community Center

--Wichita, Kansas - SER Corporation of Kansas

--Detroit, Michigan - SER - Metro Detroit Jobs for Progress, Inc.

--Holland, Michigan - Latin Americans United for Progress, Inc.

--Kansas City, Missouri - LNESC

--Las Vegas, Nevada - Hispanic Association for Bilingual Literacy and Education

--Cleveland, Ohio - El Barrio, Inc.

--Dayton, Ohio - East End Community Services Corporation

--Tulsa, Oklahoma - YWCA Intercultural Service Center

--Corpus Christi, Texas - LNESC

--Houston, Texas - LNESC

--Dallas, Texas - LNESC

--San Antonio, Texas - LNESC

--Waukesha, Wisconsin - La Casa de Esperanza

Projects funded through the SBC Excelerator grant were awarded to LULAC centers and community partners on a competitive basis in the SBC 13-state operating area, which includes Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin.

"SBC is committed to helping diverse communities access and use technology to achieve a quality education and succeed in today's workplace," said Karime Sanchez Bradvica, SBC External Affairs Executive Director. "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."

SBC Excelerator, the SBC Foundation's signature initiative, funds projects that use technology to build stronger communities. The 2004 SBC Excelerator program provided $8 million in grants to help nonprofits fully integrate technology into their ongoing operations and community outreach.

The SBC tradition of leadership is focused on investing in the people and communities the company serves through a variety of philanthropic and volunteer initiatives. In 2004, SBC companies supported the educational progress and achievement of Hispanics and contributed to 290 predominantly Hispanic-serving organizations. Furthermore, Hispanic-serving organizations received 25% of all funds distributed through the SBC Excelerator program. Also, through the Hispanic Association of Communications Employees (HACEMOS) volunteer group, SBC employees engage with the Hispanic community in programs such as High Tech Day - an annual event that encourages high school students to pursue careers in telecommunications and technology - across the company's region.

SBC companies have a solid, industry-leading record of workforce and supplier diversity, providing employment and leadership opportunities to employees and Hispanic businesses. In fact, SBC Communications has been recognized by Fortune magazine's 50 Best Companies for Minorities for six consecutive years, as one of the top 50 companies for diversity by DiversityInc.com and as one of the best companies for Latinas by LATINAStyle magazine.

Since SBC Excelerator's inception in 2002, nearly $27 million in technology grants has been awarded to more than 1,500 non-profit organizations. Since 1984, SBC Communications and the SBC Foundation have contributed more than $1 billion to nonprofit organizations and affiliates across the country.

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

The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. The SBC Foundation supports efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide, particularly those with an emphasis on education and technology and those that benefit underserved populations. SBC Foundation-backed programs are designed to increase access to information technologies, broaden technology training and professional skills development, and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development. The Foundation Center has consistently ranked the SBC Foundation among the nation's top fifteen corporate foundations. In 2002, the SBC Foundation launched SBC Excelerator, a multimillion dollar competitive grants program that funds nonprofit organizations in their efforts to digitally connect communities.

SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves more than 50 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.