Sprint Foundation grants provided to Colorado Uplift, Lone Tree Cultural Arts Foundation and The Urban Farm of Stapleton; plus, outstanding Denver resident recognized for community contributions
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 10, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) recently announced the Denver recipients of the 2011 Sprint Local Grant Program and the 2011 Sprint Community Champions program. In total, three area non-profit organizations are being awarded grants as part of these signature community-support programs. The Sprint Local Grant Program annually awards two $25,000 Sprint Foundation grants to Denver-area non-profits that support Sprint’s focus area of youth development. The Sprint Community Champions Program annually recognizes outstanding Denver-area residents who have made a positive impact on the community with Sprint Foundation grants to qualified non-profit organizations of the honorees’ choice. Grants were presented and Community Champions honored at a local reception last night.
The 2011 grant recipients and Community Champion honoree for Denver are as follows:
- Colorado Uplift was selected as a 2011 Sprint Local Grant Program recipient and will receive a $25,000 Sprint Foundation grant for its Teaching/Mentoring Program, which follows students from second grade until they graduate high school and enroll in college. Mentors provide students with relational-building leadership activities and one-on-one mentoring opportunities. More than 4,000 at-risk teens from 22 Denver Public Schools will have the opportunity to benefit from this program.
- Lone Tree Cultural Arts Foundation was selected as a 2011 Sprint Local Grant Program recipient and will receive a $25,000 Sprint Foundation grant to support the Inaugural Season of the Lone Tree Arts Center. The Arts Center will feature a wide variety of performances such as national touring acts, musicians, magicians and plays. More than 3,000 area residents, including many children, are expected to benefit from these programs.
- Denver resident Donna Garnett was selected as the 2011 Sprint Community Champion, and the Sprint Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to her selected charitable organization, The Urban Farm of Stapleton. Garnett is one of the founding members and president of The Urban Farm, a program where several hundred children participate in school-linked programs, after-school riding programs and literacy programs. Donna has regularly given her time by teaching classes and mentoring hundreds of urban Denver youth.
Sprint is a long-time supporter of the Denver community, and this is the third year Sprint has conducted the Sprint Local Giving Program and the Sprint Community Champions Program in the market. In total, these programs have provided more than $165,000 in support to local non-profits, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, Colorado Council on Economic Education, Colorado Mountain Club and Colorado Uplift. To learn more about either program, please visit www.sprint.com/localgiving.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 53 million customers at the end of 3Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
About the Sprint Foundation
Since its establishment in 1989, the Sprint Foundation has supported community organizations across the country with a special emphasis on K-12 education, positive youth development, arts and culture outreach, and Internet safety. Through direct grants and a robust matching-gifts program for employees and retirees, the Sprint Foundation creatively and thoughtfully delivers Sprint’s commitment to championing the communities where Sprint customers and employees live.
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Contact(s):
Sprint
Dave Mellin, 720-420-6728
dave.mellin@sprint.com
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