Sprint Wins 2016 “Corporate Partner of the Year” Award from Youth Guidance

Youth Guidance supporters attended the annual Bright Futures Gala to increase awareness and funding for programs specific to Chicago at-risk students

Mayor Rahm Emanuel urges supporters to get more involved and commit to the growth of Youth Guidance programs over the next three years

CHICAGO (BUSINESS WIRE), May 24, 2016 – On Saturday, May 21, 2016, Sprint was presented with the “Corporate Partner of the Year” award by Youth Guidance at their annual Bright Futures Gala. The black-tie affair was held at the Palmer House Hilton and included Mayor Rahm Emanuel as honorary chair.

“What a complete honor it is to win this award,” said Jim Mills, Sprint president of Illinois and Wisconsin. “Sprint is proud to support such an outstanding nonprofit and we’re committed to continue creating specific events to benefit at-risk Chicago students involved with Youth Guidance.”

Sprint recognizes the importance of nonprofits like Youth Guidance that are truly making a big impact in its community. Youth Guidance meets students where they are physically within schools, socially and emotionally. The agency’s trauma-informed counseling and prevention programs—such as Becoming a Man (B.A.M.) and Working on Womanhood (W.O.W.)—teach young men and women to make positive life choices and help them stay engaged in school.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s remarks included the need for Youth Guidance programs, B.A.M. and W.O.W. in the City of Chicago. Emanuel asked supporters to stand with him and commit the next three years to increase the number of students that are in these programs.

“Sprint’s an excellent corporate citizen and we really applaud them for getting so involved, so quickly,” said Michelle Adler Morrison, Youth Guidance CEO. “Our students are fortunate to have such a wonderful company invest in their school and life success. Sprint has crafted fun educational experiences for our students and has paid special attention to exposing our youth to positive role models with eye opening perspectives on the world of work. We appreciate Sprint’s generosity and support of our mission.”

Last September, Sprint kicked off the school year by taking 100 Working on Womanhood students and staff to a Chicago Sky WNBA game and dinner. WNBA legend, Sheryl Swoopes joined as Sprint’s dinner guest and inspired young women to dream big.

Sprint didn’t stop there. In December 2015, Sprint launched #Sprint4Change, a program created specifically for Youth Guidance students who are passionate about the arts. Sprint partnered up with the legendary House of Blues and Chicago Recording Company to make this a dream come true for young musicians. This unique learning experience helped students discover their passion and think beyond high school. Students met and learned from industry professionals like Danny Leake and Donald Lawrence and recorded and produced their own song.

About Sprint:

Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served more than 58.8 million connections as of March 31, 2016 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; leading no-contract 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. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint atwww.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and http://www.twitter.com/Sprint4Chi.

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