AT&T Supports Freehold's HISPA With Grant Dollars and Volunteer Hours

FREEHOLD, N.J., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The AT&T Foundation, the corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T*, today announced an AT&T CARES grant of $5,000 to HISPA.  HISPA's mission is to inspire students by enabling Hispanic and Latino role models to participate in education programs within our communities.

The AT&T CARES Special Grants Program was established in 2007 to recognize the value that employee volunteerism brings to the company and the communities they serve.  

This year the AT&T Foundation provided $220,000 in grants to 44 organizations through the AT&T CARES program. Through AT&T CARES, the AT&T Pioneer chapters, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and other qualified internal organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to the community where they live and work have the opportunity to nominate a nonprofit organization to receive a one-time $5,000 grant.

The funding received from AT&T will assist HISPA in the ongoing effort to develop a national network of Hispanic and Latino role models who can speak to students and help to inspire and motivate students to reach their full potential.  Many of these volunteers are AT&T employees who work with the students and act as role models by showcasing their education experiences, careers and ethnic backgrounds.

"As more and more promising children drop out of school, we have a responsibility to introduce them to positive role models.  This funding will allow us to further expand our network of role models and ensure that more at-risk children have the opportunity to see what success looks like," said Ivonne Diaz-Claisse, president of HISPA's board of directors.

"The work done by HISPA is extraordinarily valuable to the people in our community and will help to ensure that we are raising yet another bright and accomplished generation," said J. Michael Schweder, President, AT&T New Jersey. "We are proud to support their great work through AT&T CARES."

HISPA was selected by the New Jersey chapter of AT&T HACEMOS which is AT&T's Hispanic Employee Resource Group whose members support and encourage each other to succeed professionally, personally, and in the community.  In addition to the CARES grants, each group is committed to serving the communities where they live and work.  AT&T has ten ERGs, which together have more than 10,000 employees in 170 chapters nationwide. In 2008 ERGs logged more than 68,000 hours of community service and provided more than $280,000 in donations and scholarships. More than 325,000 people nationwide are members of the AT&T Pioneers, making it the nation's largest company-sponsored volunteer organization.

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*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T | DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T's Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

For 25 years, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have been committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. As the AT&T Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2009, more than $160 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs in 2008 alone.

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