BEST BUY AND UNITED WAY OF EASTERN FAIRFIELD COUNTY TO LAUNCH AFTER-SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM
One of 28 Communities in U.S. Selected as New "Music Zones"

Bridgeport, CT. October 16, 2002 - United Way of Eastern Fairfield County and Best Buy Children's Foundation are helping to bring new music education opportunities to area children. United Way of Eastern Fairfield County received a $35,000 grant from the Best Buy Children's Foundation to manage an initiative that will improve student academic and social outcomes through the provision of music instruction and performance opportunities to low-income youth through after-school programs and will help coordinate, with The Lighthouse Programs, existing after-school music programming in Bridgeport city schools.

The Bridgeport initiative is part of an overall $1,000,000 commitment Best Buy made to 28 United Way organizations across the country to provide music instruction and performance opportunities to low-income youth through after-school programming and strengthen a school/community or after-school initiative. This year's donation marks the third year of Best Buy's "Music Zone" initiative, which has grown from 5 to 28 communities since its inception.

"Best Buy understands how music is as essential as any other area of study in terms of both academic and life success," explained Stacy Hanley, community relations manager for the consumer-electronics retailer. "The United Way are such great experts in pooling community resources, which makes Music Zone such a meaningful program."

National studies have shown that youth participating in music programs are twice as likely to win an award for school attendance and three times as likely to win an award for academic achievement when compared to children who are not involved in similar programs. Despite these statistics, many schools in economically disadvantaged areas have had their budgets for music education greatly reduced or eliminated in recent years.

The Music and Arts Center for Humanity (MACH) is the lead agency for the Best Buy grant. In partnership with the Greater Bridgeport Youth Symphony, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Lighthouse Program, ABCD and the Bridgeport Board of Education, MACH will provide small group and private music lessons and ensemble and theory programs. The program will directly serve 110-120 economically disadvantaged and/or socially and emotionally disturbed children and youth ages 5-17 and an additional 2000 through student performances and showcases.

United Way of Eastern Fairfield County and the Lighthouse Program will co-manage a broad-based community effort to coordinate and enhance existing after-school music programming. The initiative will help address the issue of decreased federal 21st century monies to the Bridgeport community by identifying alternative sources of funding.

"It's important to note that Best Buy's support of the Music Zone initiative is above and beyond their ongoing generous corporate and employee support for United Ways throughout the country. And it's thanks to corporate partners like Best Buy that United Way is able to build stronger neighborhoods right here in Bridgeport," said Merle Berke-Schlessel, president of United Way of Eastern Fairfield County. "The Music Zone is a wonderful program because it helps to bring music to the lives of children and helps put them on the road to success."

United Way is a local, nonprofit organization governed by volunteers representing the six-town area of Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull since 1921. Its mission is to build a stronger Eastern Fairfield County by mobilizing our community to improve people's lives. All United Way activities are directed to identifying and solving the community's most pressing problems. We serve as the "common table" that gathers diverse community agencies and individuals together to address the most pressing needs within the six Vision Areas of strengthening families, nurturing children and youth, supporting older people, increasing self-sufficiency, providing basic human needs and promoting health, wellness and safety.

United Way works to create sustained changes in community conditions. To do this, United Way builds collaboratives and focuses on targeted initiatives and conducts year-round fund raising to allocate funds to programs delivering results. Through Community Care funds raised during the annual Community Campaign, United Way funds more than 80 programs providing a broad range of health and human services touching the lives of more than 180,000 people each year. In addition to our funded programs, more than $2.4 million was raised through the United Way Community Campaign to support donor-selected nonprofit health, social service and educational organizations throughout Connecticut.

As community leaders, United Ways address the most critical local issues and mobilize resources beyond the dollars that are pledged through their fundraising efforts. Community partners often include schools, government policy makers, businesses, organized labor, financial institutions, voluntary and neighborhood associations, community development corporations and the faith community.

United Way of America is the national organization dedicated to leading the United Way movement in making measurable impact in every community across America. The United Way movement includes approximately 1,400 community-based United Way organizations. Each is independent, separately incorporated, and governed by local volunteers.

Minneapolis-based Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is North America's number one specialty retailer of consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software and appliances. The Company operates retail stores and commercial web sites under the names: Best Buy, Magnolia Hi-Fi, Media Play, On Cue, Sam Goody, and Suncoast. The Company reaches consumers through more than 1,800 retail stores nationwide, in Puerto Rico and in the US Virgin Islands. Best Buy has a long history of supporting the United Way through a number of partnerships, fundraising and volunteerism.

The Best Buy Children's Foundation has been awarding grants to national and local nonprofit youth-development programs since 1994.