Dallas' Children Use Cutting Edge Technology To Learn Lifesaving Phone Tips

Dallas To Host 1998 MCI Kidcard Safety Day
Program

DALLAS (October 23, 1998) -

Can you dial 911 from a pay phone without any money? When would you
call 911: if you couldn't find your dog, or if someone was hurt?
For a child under the age of eight, answering these questions may not
be easy. To address the issue of phone safety and emergency use and
to provide a solution, MCI WorldCom, together with U.S.
Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX-3) and the Greater Dallas Crime
Commission, brings its unique, high-tech and interactive KidCard
Safety Day to Dallas today with an event at Gill Elementary School.
The KidCard program was developed to bring police officers and kids
together to learn about phone safety and proper emergency use.
According to Dispatch Magazine, it is estimated that 80% of calls
made to 911 are non-emergency calls.

Now in its second year, the KidCard program brings together MCI
WorldCom, its national partners the National Association of Police
Athletic Leagues (NAPAL), and the National Child Safety Council
(NCSC) and its local partner, the Greater Dallas Crime Commission, to
teach children ages five to eight years old what number to dial in
case of an emergency, what a real emergency is, as well as basics
that today's busy parents may overlook teaching their children.
The 1997 KidCard program brought this life-saving information to more
than 17,000 young children and their parents and hosted Safety Day
events in 13 U.S. cities.

This year the KidCard program will host Safety Days in ten cities:
Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; Durham, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; Houston, TX;
Los Angeles, CA; Newark, NJ; Pittsburgh, PA; San Antonio, TX and
Tampa, FL. MCI WorldCom will also donate $10,000 and computers to the
local partner organization in each host city in support of youth
programs.

"By selecting Dallas as one of ten cities to host a KidCard
Safety Day program, MCI WorldCom continues to show its commitment to
the children and families of our community," said U.S.
Representative Sam Johnson . "The KidCard initiative, in
conjunction with the Greater Dallas Crime Commission and the City of
Dallas is a perfect example of what can be achieved through
innovative private and public sector partnerships."

A main component of the program is the KidCard Safety Day where
children participate in safety sessions taught by local law
enforcement. They learn important safety messages, take the KidCard
Safety Quiz at interactive, high tech computer stations, sign the
giant safety pledge promising to stay safe and receive their own
"KidCard" and Learning Guide. Although the Safety Days are
designed for children, the program is also designed to give parents
the tools they need to help teach their kids about phone safety.

"We believe that educating our kids is a critical step to
keeping them safe and that the phone can be a child's lifeline to
safety," said Mark Petoskey, Regional Branch Manager, MCI
WorldCom. "Through MCI WorldCom's cutting-edge
communications technology and the participation of our community
partners, KidCard is an example of our long-standing commitment to
help enrich the lives of Dallas' children and their
families."

The "KidCard" is a brightly colored card that serves as
a quick reference for kids by providing spaces on the back for
important phone numbers, as well as safety tip reminders. Today's
children have more numbers to memorize in order to reach a parent or
call home, and the KidCard makes it easy for them to keep this
information handy.

In addition to the KidCard, MCI WorldCom, along with the NCSC,
developed the KidCard Learning Guide which serves as a tool for
families to review and discuss phone safety and phone etiquette and
develop their own family safety plan for emergencies.

"There is no better way to convey these important messages to
Dallas kids than through our own police officers," said City of
Dallas Police Chief Robert L. Jackson. "There is a need to
address the issues of distinguishing what is an emergency and what
number to call with children this young for two reasons, because we
see more and more children in this age group being left home alone
and the surge of non-emergency calls being made to 9-1-1."

In order to ensure that all children and parents have access to
this valuable information, MCI WorldCom has made both the KidCard and
Learning Guide available nationwide free-of-charge by calling the
toll-free number at 1-888-731-KIDS. The Learning Guide is also
available in Spanish by calling 1-888-30-NIQOS. To take the KidCard
Safety Quiz online or to download the quiz onto a PC, please visit
the KidCard website at: www.mci.com/kidcard.

MCI WorldCom is a global telecommunications company with revenue
of more than $30 billion and established operations in over 65
countries encompassing the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific
regions. MCI WorldCom is a premier provider of facilities-based and
fully integrated local, long distance, international and Internet
services. MCI WorldCom's global networks, including its
state-of-the-art pan-European network and transoceanic cable systems,
provide end-to-end high-capacity connectivity to more than 35,000
buildings worldwide. For more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the
World Wide Web at www.mciworldcom.com or
www.wcom.com

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