SAN DIEGO YOUTH CAN KEEP IN TOUCH WITH TECHNOLOGY THIS SUMMER

Waitt Family Foundation provides on-line links to Community Technology Centers countwide.

San Diego, CA- May 21, 2002--The Waitt Family Foundation today unveiled a new on-line tool that will help San Diego County residents locate their nearest community technology center, regardless of whether it is a Waitt or PowerUP site, or other community technology center.

Located on the Waitt Family Foundation web page (www.waittfoundation.org), the new tool provides location and contact information for more than 120 community technology centers that offer access to personal computers and the Internet.

"We are encouraging parents across San Diego County to ensure that their children remain in touch with technology over the summer break, and this new tool will help those parents learn the closest locations to their homes to accomplish this," said Al Panico, director of Grants for the Waitt Family Foundation. "Technology is a great leveler in society, as it can bring to reality the hopes and dreams of millions of children and their families. As with other educational disciplines, it is especially important that children don't lose touch with technology during the summer months, so we want to ensure that they know where they can go to stay connected."

The locator tool sponsored by the Waitt Family Foundation, focuses on San Diego County. In order to find a technology center nearby, one simply has to input either a city or ZIP code.

"Not only does this on-line tool help children and their families, but corporations and foundations looking to support community technology efforts now have a resource to help identify where needs are greatest and where donations can be best used," said Panico. "Recently when Agouron-Pfizer Pharmaceuticals wanted to donate 30 printers to local nonprofits, we used the map and database to determine which community tech centers needed upgraded hardware and we were able to ensure this generous donation was put to the best use. We feel that overtime this on-line tool will become an important resource in bridging the digital divide within our community," Panico concluded.