Sprint Foundation grants provided to Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Junior Achievement of Dallas and Ft. Worth, and SafeHaven of Tarrant County; plus, two outstanding Dallas/Fort Worth residents recognized for their community contributions
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 22, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) recently announced the Dallas/Fort Worth recipients of the 2011 Sprint Local Grant Program and the 2011 Sprint Community Champions program. In total, four 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 Dallas/Fort Worth-area non-profits that support Sprint’s focus area of youth development. The Sprint Community Champions Program annually recognizes two outstanding Dallas/Fort Worth-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.
The 2011 grant recipients and Community Champion honorees for Dallas/Fort Worth are as follows:
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas was selected as a 2011 Sprint Local Grant Program recipient and will receive a $25,000 Sprint Foundation grant for its Project Learn program. Project Learn provides homework help and professional tutoring; targeted enrichment programs in Math, Science, Reading and Technology; real-life learning and leisure activities; and job-skills development with college preparation. More than 1,000 youth will benefit from these resources and many will participate in tutoring groups that meet twice per week.
- Junior Achievement of Dallas and Ft. Worth was selected as a 2011 Sprint Local Grant Program recipient and will receive a $25,000 Sprint Foundation grant to support 54 area classes with Junior Achievement volunteers. This will allow 1,026 students to have the opportunity to work with an adult role model who will bring the real workplace to them. Students will learn about the skills and competencies necessary to be successful from a workplace professional who will provide a real look at career options and experiences.
- Arlington resident Angela Dikes was selected as the 2011 Sprint Adult Community Champion, and the Sprint Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to her selected charitable organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star. Angela is a long-time volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sister Lone Star and has been with her “Little Sister” for eight years. Angela was so dedicated to and inspired by the organization that, in 2006, she joined Big Brothers Big Sisters as a Match Support Specialist, and since 2009, she has been the Match Support Coordinator for Dallas County, currently supervising eight Match Support Specialists, who monitor and support more than 800 volunteers.
- Arlington resident Nya Watson was selected as the 2011 Sprint Youth Community Champion, and the Sprint Foundation awarded a $2,500 grant to her selected charitable organization, SafeHaven of Tarrant County, a non-profit organization that exists to end family violence. Nya came to SafeHaven in October 2009 when she was 15 years old wanting to volunteer with children staying at the Arlington women’s shelter. Through SafeHaven, Nya now regularly volunteers in the children’s program at the Arlington shelter, assisting in areas like childcare, homework and tutoring. To date, she has dedicated 125 hours of service to SafeHaven, and more than 100 children have directly benefited from her efforts.
Sprint is a long-time supporter of the Dallas/Fort Worth 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 $172,000 in support to local non-profits, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Junior Achievement of Dallas and Junior Achievement of Fort Worth, and Volunteer Center of North Texas. 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
Jennifer Schuler, 913-315-3324
Jennifer.D.Schuler@sprint.com
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