Get the latest delivered to your inbox
Privacy Policy

Now Reading

AT&T and the USO Help Connect Military Families for the Holidays With $1 Million in Free Phone Cards for Active-Duty Military Members

Donates More Than 230,000 Prepaid Phone Cards to U.S. Military Members in 2009

AT&T and the USO Help Connect Military Families for the Holidays With $1 Million in Free Phone Cards for Active-Duty Military Members

Donates More Than 230,000 Prepaid Phone Cards to U.S. Military Members in 2009

Published 12-16-09

Submitted by AT&T Inc.

The holidays are here, and AT&T* has military families top of mind. With the help of the USO, AT&T is donating more than 230,000 prepaid phone cards - with a total retail value of more than $1 million - to military personnel stationed overseas in 2009.

AT&T previously announced it would donate more than 30,000 phone cards this year at the AT&T National Golf Tournament in Bethesda, Md. Just days ago, at this year's Army-Navy game in Philadelphia, AT&T announced that the donation has grown by more than 200,000 cards for the year. According to AT&T, this season's donation is in honor of U.S. military families around the world.

AT&T is working with the USO to distribute the donated prepaid cards through the end of the year at overseas military bases and during USO entertainment tours. In the weeks leading up to and surrounding the holidays, the USO is helping AT&T distribute thousands of phone cards to troops throughout Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Germany. The USO will distribute phone cards through their program Operation USO Care Package and will hand out phone cards personally to wounded military members at Landsthul Regional Medical Center. Each donated phone card will provide military members with 20 minutes of free talk time from Iraq to the U.S.

"At AT&T, we know the holidays are special because they're about bringing families and loved ones together," said Judy Cavalieri, vice president, Prepaid Products, AT&T. "For military families, we know that can be hard when a loved one is stationed away from home. So, we're glad to do what we can to help keep them connected during the holidays - and all year long."

In addition to donating cards to the USO, AT&T continues to offer all 2,000-plus of its retail locations as cell phone recycling drop off spots and shares part of the recycling proceeds with Cell Phones for Soldiers, a charity that provides free phone cards to military members.

"The USO would like to thank AT&T, our partner for more than 20 years, for donating prepaid phone cards," said USO President and CEO Sloan Gibson. "These cards will allow U.S. troops around the world to connect with family and friends during the holidays."

The donation builds on AT&T's commitment to help keep military families connected. In recent years, AT&T has donated free prepaid phone cards with a retail value of nearly $8 million to military members and has provided nearly $6 million in grants that support military and related nonprofit organizations. And, AT&T has built 70 calling centers for military members stationed in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, so they can stay in touch with friends and family.

In the past 20 years, AT&T has contributed tens of millions of dollars to the USO in support of the Operation USO Care Package and USO Operation Phone Home® programs, as well as USO entertainment tours and regional operations in Europe, Southwest Asia and the Pacific.

Since 1941, the USO has provided morale, welfare and recreation-type programs and services to enhance the quality of life for military personnel and their families around the world. The USO currently operates more than 135 centers, including 11 mobile canteens, offering free Internet and e-mail access, prepaid phone cards, entertainment and lounge areas, libraries, travel assistance and refreshments. USO entertainment tours bring celebrity volunteers to entertain and lift the morale of troops and to express the gratitude and support of the American people.

For more than 85 years, AT&T has remained dedicated to supporting active military personnel, their families and veterans through charitable contributions, sponsorships, the hiring of military veterans and maintaining policies that support reservists who are called to duty. For more information, go to www.att.com/troopsupport.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About the USO
The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America’s service members and military families. We provide a touch of home to troops wherever they serve through centers at airports and military bases around the world, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services tailored to meet troop needs. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families, and the families of the fallen.

The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency; we rely on the generosity of our donors. In addition to individual donors, the USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Gallery Furniture, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, S & K Sales Co. and TriWest Healthcare Alliance, as well as other corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381). We strive to deliver maximum benefit for troops and their families from every donor dollar. For more information, please visit www.uso.org.

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 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T 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(SM) and AT&T | DIRECTV(SM) 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's Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

© 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

AT&T Inc. logo

AT&T Inc.

AT&T Inc.

More from AT&T Inc.

Join today and get the latest delivered to your inbox