Bell Atlantic Mobile Donations Make Streets Safer For School Children

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BLOOMFIELD, NJ —

Students in two Essex County communities can now walk to school on safer streets, thanks to wireless phones donated by Bell Atlantic Mobile. School crossing guards in Bloomfield and Maplewood have been outfitted with wireless phones specially programmed to dial 9-1-1 at the touch of a button to quickly and easily summon help in emergencies.

"children as they navigate busy streets and intersections on their way to class," said Charles Hand, president of Bell Atlantic Mobile's New York Metro region. "These phones will ensure that crossing guards can summon help immediately without leaving their posts. These phones put safety in the palms of their hands."

Police departments in both towns requested the phones to enable crossing guards to respond quickly to accidents, medical emergencies or crimes in progress.

The donations are part of the company's "Wireless At Work" community service program, one of a series of company initiatives designed to bring the benefits of wireless technology to communities throughout the New York/New Jersey metro area. Over the past two years, the company has donated more than 700 wireless phones in the area, including nearly 300 to crossing guards.

Bell Atlantic Mobile recently launched its Wireless at Work Phone Recycling Program aimed at reclaiming old and unused phones and putting them into the hands of people who need emergency communications. The Bloomfield Police Department will sponsor a wireless phone recycling drive in June to equip additional crossing guards with phones. Details of the drive will be announced shortly.

In the NY/NJ Metro Region, Bell Atlantic Mobile was named leader in overall customer satisfaction among wireless users, according to the prestigious JD Power and Associates 1998 US Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study. Bell Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless network in the East, covering 120,000 square miles, and the largest chain of retail outlets devoted exclusively to wireless voice, data and paging. Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has 6.4 million customers and 8,000 employees from Maine to Georgia and, through a separate subsidiary, in the Southwest. Bell Atlantic Mobile's parent is one of the world's largest wireless communications companies, with domestic operations in 25 states and international investments in Mexico, Europe and the Pacific Rim. For more information on Bell Atlantic Mobile visit: www.bam.com; on global operations visit: www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide.

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Local contacts in communities that have equipped school crossing guards with wireless phones:

Community: Contact/Reach Number:
Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood P.D.
Director Paul Gizzo
973-762-3402 ext. 1-322
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield, P.D.
Officer Anthony Monticello
973-680-4106

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