The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund Announces Support for New Summe

The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund Announces Support for New Summer Jobs Program

    Philanthropy Writers/Business Editors

    NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2005--The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund announced today that it will, for the third consecutive year, fund 1,000 summer jobs for low-income teenagers in New York City. The emergency program responds to prospective cuts in government-funded summer jobs and will begin on Tuesday, July 5. The jobs will be created by the seven social service agencies that receive funds from the annual Neediest Cases campaign.
    "Young people again face very difficult job prospects in the city this summer," said Michael Golden, vice chairman of The New York Times Company and member of the Neediest Fund board. "From what we know so far about government plans for this summer, it seems likely that the number of summer jobs will barely equal last year's low total of 32,000. Four years ago, there were nearly 50,000."
    Mr. Golden continued, "The program provides direct help to a thousand families that very much need their teenagers' earnings, while encouraging the State and City to do their best in creating summer jobs. The Neediest Fund and the seven Neediest Cases agencies are eager to encourage other companies, philanthropies and individuals to join the effort as well. One way is to create blocks of paid summer jobs in their organizations. Another is with cash contributions. Each additional $1,500 received will enable The After-School Corporation (TASC) and the agencies to hire and train another young person who needs earnings and constructive summer activity."
    As in the past two years, the program will be administered by TASC, which works with many of the Neediest Cases agencies in all five boroughs. Many of the young employees will work in day camps, summer schools and programs for at-risk children.
    Funding will be provided by a $1.5 million contribution from the Neediest Cases Fund endowment. The Fund's policy authorizes counter-cyclical use of unrestricted funds in times of economic stress.
    Because the new program is being created early in the year, TASC can make the program increasingly effective.
    "Lamentably, governmental summer job programs are often not created until the last minute, when it is too late to arrange for job skills training and jobs that count," said Lucy Friedman, president, TASC.
    Companies, donors and individuals willing to join in the program may call or write Mary Bleiberg, vice president for policy and planning, TASC, 925 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 212-547-6923, mbleiberg@tascorp.org. Cash contributions may be made payable to The After-School Corporation and sent to the same address.

    The seven Neediest Cases agencies are:

--	Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service
--	Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
--	Catholic Charities, Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens
--	The Children's Aid Society
--	Community Service Society of New York
--	Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Inc.
--	UJA-Federation of New York

    The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2004 revenues of $3.3 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 16 other newspapers, eight network-affiliated television stations, two New York City radio stations and more than 40 Web sites, including NYTimes.com and Boston.com. For the fifth consecutive year, the Company was ranked No. 1 in the publishing industry in Fortune's 2005 list of America's Most Admired Companies. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

    This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com

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CONTACT: The New York Times Company Kathy J. Park, 212-556-4059 kpark@nytimes.com

KEYWORD: NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PRODUCT SOURCE: The New York Times Company

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