BellSouth Donates $5M to Gulf States Impacted by Katrina

BellSouth to Fund e-Learning Efforts to Support Education Needs

ATLANTA – September 13, 2005 – The BellSouth Foundation today announced that it will donate $5 million towards enabling students from the Gulf States to continue their education via virtual courses. With thousands of students and teachers displaced because of the widespread devastation on the coast, online learning is a vital education resource for students impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

“The Foundation’s mission to bring e-Learning to communities in need has never been more relevant,” said Dick Anderson, chairman, BellSouth Foundation. “We want to make sure that high school students displaced by Katrina can stay on track for graduation, and on-line learning can help them to meet the necessary requirements.”

Working in collaboration with the Louisiana and Mississippi Departments of Education, BellSouth will donate $5 million in cash earmarked to provide virtual courses to affected students, train teachers in online course delivery and provide support for schools and learning centers to accommodate student needs.

“Because of the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, some of our schools will be closed for the entire school year and others will have the responsibility of educating students displaced from the severely affected areas,” said Governor Haley Barbour, Mississippi. “Hence, online courses and technology support is critical to our relief effort. BellSouth’s generous donation will help thousands of high school students continue their education and graduate on time.”

“We expect that many of our displaced students may change schools several times over the coming year, which will, in turn, increase the emotional toll on them,” said Dr. Hank Bounds, state superintendent of education, Mississippi. “Virtual courses will help provide stability and consistency for these students. This resource will also benefit the schools throughout Mississippi that have enrolled displaced students, and need additional resources to meet their educational needs.”

“We are working hard in Louisiana to meet the needs of our students displaced by Hurricane Katrina,” said Cecil Picard, state superintendent of education, Louisiana. “BellSouth’s support will help us to reach our goal of allowing Louisiana students to continue their education.”

“The damage created by Hurricane Katrina is unprecedented and our hearts go out to the victims of this tragedy,” continued Anderson. “In keeping with the tradition of BellSouth’s support for education, we are committed to serving the students displaced by this disaster by providing quality virtual learning opportunities.”