AT&T Donates 2,600 Prepaid Phone Cards to Oklahoma's 45th Infantry
Soldiers Can Use Their Cards to Call Home From Iraq
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, December 21, 2007
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced that 2,600 prepaid AT&T phone cards have been donated to the military men and women of the Oklahoma National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade, which will leave for Iraq early next year.
Don Cain, president, AT&T Oklahoma, recently presented the cards to Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry. Each donated card will provide 20 free minutes of talk time from Iraq to the U.S.
In early November, Henry called on Oklahomans to help bring the troops back to Oklahoma for a 10-day holiday leave from training at Fort Bliss, Texas. The troops are scheduled to return to Fort Bliss on Jan. 2 before being deployed to Iraq. Cain said the calling cards will be given to the troops on their return trip to Fort Bliss.
"We congratulate Governor Henry for his successful effort to bring home our troops so that they can be with their families and friends during the holidays," Cain said. "We at AT&T want to help them stay connected, even when they eventually are separated by thousands of miles."
"Oklahomans have displayed an amazing outpouring of support for the 45th Infantry," Henry said. "AT&T has stepped forward with a generous donation for our courageous soldiers. I salute AT&T for continuing its tradition of supporting Oklahomans."
The 2,600 cards are in addition to some 450,000 prepaid cards — valued at more than $4 million — that AT&T has contributed since January 2006 to help support U.S. military members and their families. These donations include direct distributions of free prepaid phone cards to troops serving in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, South Korea, Japan and Europe.
In addition, AT&T and Cell Phones for Soldiers (CPFS) recently announced a nationwide call to action for holiday mobile phone donations to help fund the purchase of prepaid phone cards for U.S. military personnel stationed in Iraq. AT&T and CPFS have set a goal of raising $1.4 million worth of prepaid cards in the first year of their relationship — so that every U.S. military member stationed in Iraq could receive a free prepaid phone card good for a 20-minute call to the U.S.
All 1,800 company-owned AT&T retail stores in the United States serve as donation sites for any used mobile phone. CPFS then recycles the phones, and the proceeds are used to buy additional prepaid calling cards.
SUPPORTING MILITARY PERSONNEL
For more than 85 years, AT&T has remained dedicated to supporting active military personnel, their families and veterans through charitable contributions, sponsorships and maintaining policies that support reservists when called to duty. Since 2000, AT&T has donated nearly $8 million in free prepaid phone cards to military members and has provided nearly $6 million in grants that support military members and related nonprofit organizations. The company also has built 70 calling centers in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan that help keep military members in touch with their families.
Additional information on these and other initiatives is available at www.att.com/troopsupport.
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. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at www.att.com.
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