AT&T Employees Honor National Day of Service and Remembrance Through Volunteerism in Their Communities

DALLAS, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In commemoration of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, AT&T Cares, the company’s volunteer initiative, is supporting the efforts of more than 140,000 AT&T employees and retirees who will honor this day by participating in acts of service. In remembrance of the 10-year anniversary of the attacks, 9/11 nonprofit group MyGoodDeed and HandsOn Network, the volunteer activation division of Points of Light Institute, are co-leading efforts to organize one million Americans in acts of charitable service.

Across the U.S., AT&T employees will volunteer to benefit their communities through the Pioneers Dish It Up food drive kicking off on 9/11; a recycling drive in 100 locations to benefit Cell Phones for Soldiers; and a 4,000 employee recruitment drive for Job Shadow, designed to help at-risk students connect the importance of education with workforce success.

"We're especially grateful on this National Day of Service and Remembrance to honor our country with our community service," said Charlene Lake, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer.  "We serve to unite and strengthen the critical bond between our business and our communities. And we challenge others to find inspiration in the heroes of 9/11 to embrace the value of service in their business."  

To honor those who perished and those who rose to service after the tragedy, AT&T employees, through AT&T Cares, are focusing efforts on three main initiatives:

• Pioneers Dish It Up: AT&T Pioneers, a volunteer organization of AT&T employees and retirees, will participate in the national Pioneers Dish It Up food drive campaign from September 11 through September 25. During this time, AT&T Pioneers in 110 cities across the U.S. will collect healthy, nutritious, non-perishable food items, transport donations to food banks and serve at local shelters or soup kitchens. AT&T Pioneers will ask their coworkers and the community to drop off healthy food at designated sites in hopes of collecting 700,000 pounds of food during the two-week campaign.
• Cell Phones for Soldiers: AT&T employees will conduct a 100-location recycling drive to benefit Cell Phones for Soldiers, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing free calls home to deployed members of the armed forces. In 81 cities, the community will be encouraged to donate and recycle their used cell phones at drop-off sites across the country. Since 2008, AT&T Pioneers and employees have collected more than 40,000 cell phones for donation to Cell Phones for Soldiers. The cell phones are sold to a company that recycles them, and a portion of the proceeds are used to purchase calling cards that are sent to soldiers around the world.
• AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative: AT&T Cares will hold a special 4,000 employee Job Shadow recruitment drive to encourage additional employees to volunteer and team up with students. Through the Job Shadow initiative, AT&T employees are helping students learn about careers and develop an understanding of the educational background and skills they will need to succeed on the job. Since the initiative started in 2008, more than 82,000 students have participated in 211 cities. AT&T employees have volunteered more than 28,000 times for Job Shadow, dedicating more than 225,000 volunteer hours, to help students learn. Job Shadow is a part of AT&T Aspire, a $100 million program to help improve high school success and workforce readiness.

In 2010, through AT&T Cares, AT&T employees and retirees, including AT&T Pioneers, donated 9 million hours of time in 2010 to community outreach activities, valued at more than $192 million.(1) In addition, more than $148.2 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs.

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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 mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also 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® and AT&T |DIRECTV 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 Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine. 

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About Philanthropy at AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and working with other organizations, AT&T has a long history of supporting projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. In 2010, more than $148.2 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs.

AT&T Cares

AT&T Cares is a company-wide initiative providing a range of volunteer options and support, encouraging employees to engage, and remain engaged, in community service that is meaningful to them and their communities. Since AT&T Cares launched, in the summer of 2009, employees have shown an overwhelming desire to participate and employee volunteerism is up more than 500,000 hours over the previous year. In 2010, employees and retirees, including the AT&T Pioneers and Employee Resource Groups, donated 9 million hours of time to community outreach activities – worth more than $192 million.

About AT&T Pioneers

Founded in 1911 as the Telephone Pioneers of America with Alexander Graham Bell as one of the first members, the Pioneers continue to build on the millions of hours dedicated to helping others. More than 300,000 AT&T employees and retirees are involved in the AT&T Pioneers volunteer organization AT&T Pioneers are leading hundreds of projects in 2011 that celebrate and honor the organization's 100th Anniversary of community service.

(1) The financial equivalent is determined by using $21.36/per volunteer hour, which is based on the 2010 industry standard from Independent Sector, a leading nonprofit organization that determines the financial equivalent for a variety of volunteer initiatives.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.