CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (June 2001) – AlbemarleKids.com, a weekly online magazine and resource for families in the greater Charlottesville/Albemarle area of Virginia, announced two major milestones – their 3rd birthday and their 100,000th visitor. The popular interactive site was developed in 1997 by Robin Johnson, Creative Director, and Peter Bethke, Technical Director, and debuted online in 1998. The number of readers has more than tripled in the last year and it is projected that the site will have had 200,000 visitors by year’s end with over 18,000 visitors per month. To put these numbers into perspective, consider that population estimates for Charlottesville/Albemarle are 32,000 children under age 18 with close to 28,000 parents and 122,000 total residents of all ages.

Parents who read the site every week enjoy an extensive Calendar of Events and Classes for kids & parents, a comprehensive Guide to Family Services, a free Community Classifieds, and an interactive Parent to Parent section with discussion forums and more. Children have fun visiting the AK Museum and playing games at the Kids Clubhouse where they can also listen to stories told by local radio host Peter Jones of “Tell Us A Tale” WTJU-FM!

In 2000, the local company debuted their companion print publications to the web site, AlbemarleKids.com Special Edition magazine and the AlbemarleKids.com Directory. A monthly email Newsletter was also introduced in 2001. All of the AK publications reflect their trademark designs along with colorful kid?s artwork, practical information for parents, local resources, and fun articles.

Their dedication to products that reach out to families to “Make Parenting Easier & Growing Up Fun!? extends well into their commitment to community service. They?ve developed the AlbemarleKids Care Exhibits, which are hand-on art projects that engage local kids in sharing with others. AlbemarleKids.com has raised over $4000 for the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at UVA, built and donated a tactile Harry Potter Hippogriff sculpture to The Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Staunton, and helped the United Way bring National Family Volunteer Day to Charlottesville. Their newest AlbemarleKids Care Art Exhibit will open at the Kids 4th of July Parade Downtown and be on display thru July and August at The Virginia Discovery Museum and online in their Kids Museum.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about AlbemarleKids publications, please call (434) 984-4713, or email us, or visit our virtual offices at http://www.AlbemarleKids.com.

FOLLOW UP: Business Journal July 2001