"SBC has a long history of helping communities prepare for emergencies, and our employees have a legacy of responding to some of the most challenging natural disasters," said Lora Watts, president of external affairs for SBC West. "SBC is proud to be a part of an innovative and meaningful program like Team SAFE-T, which will lead to peace of mind for countless families and teachers and strengthen the connections between California state schools, homes and communities."
Team SAFE-T is part of a yearlong campaign launched today by the state of California called "Be Smart, Be Responsible, Be Prepared. Be Ready!" to inform all Californians about the urgent need to be prepared for disasters.
First lady of California Maria Shriver and Lora Watts were given a demonstration of the Internet-based lesson plans at Topeka Elementary School in Northridge, Calif., the epicenter of the 1994 Los Angeles area earthquake. Twenty second graders also presented Maria Shriver, Lora Watts and Team SAFE-T officials with a signed poster, pledging their commitment to be involved in family disaster planning.
In October 2005, Team SAFE-T will launch its first annual week-long educational program for students, which will leadoff the statewide School Safety Month. The Team SAFE-T lessons and materials will be available to 9,200 public schools in California.
"Making sure our students feel safe and secure in school is critical to help them achieve academically," said California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. "SBC's generous $1 million award to Team SAFE-T will work toward ensuring their safety by providing them with the necessary skills to deal with any kind of emergency."
"We're deeply grateful for SBC's leadership in making communities safer through improved education," said Hillary Mendelsohn, executive director, Team SAFE-T, California Fire Foundation. "SBC's generous contribution to the emergency preparedness program will help to empower generations of children and save lives throughout California and beyond."
The initiative's focus on children emulates successful public outreach programs of the past, such as programs to teach kids about dialing 911, in which students shared the lessons they learned in the classroom with their families at home.
Team SAFE-T: A California Partnership for Safety and Preparedness coalition partners include the American Red Cross, California Professional Firefighters, California Service Corps and various California state agencies, including the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and California Department of Education.
SBC has conducted many of its own safety and preparedness efforts, including 911 education for kids and Vital Connections, a comprehensive initiative to help families and organizations remain connected during uncertain times. As part of Vital Connections, the SBC Foundation underwrote "Communications, Protection, Readiness (CPR): NPower's Guide to Nonprofit Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery." SBC also has a history of responding to emergencies such as earthquakes, California wildfires and floods, and provides Amber Alerts to its employees in the field to assist in search efforts for abducted children.
In addition to the California Fire Foundation grant to support Team SAFE-T, last January, the SBC Foundation announced a $1 million contribution to the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program. In the past decade, SBC Communications and the SBC Foundation have distributed more than $203 million in grants to support new classroom technology, after-school programs, teacher preparedness and other educational endeavors. Since 1984, SBC Communications and the SBC Foundation have contributed more than $1 billion to nonprofit organizations and affiliates across the country.
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.
-CM
