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Mon, December 21, 2009

Qwest Communities Receive More Than $10.5 Million in 2009


Published on 2009-12-21 08:10:08 - Market Wire
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DENVER--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--In 2009, despite the continued economic downturn, Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q), its employees and the Qwest Foundation increased their commitment to community service by collectively donating more than $10.5 million, in addition to volunteer time and in-kind resources and equipment, to local education and community programs.

KEY FACTS ABOUT QWEST AND EMPLOYEE COMMUNITY OUTREACH IN 2009

  • More than half of Qwest's employees participated in this year's employee-giving campaign, which is conducted in partnership with the United Way. This year's participation level represents an increase of nearly 20 percent over last year. In light of the challenging economy, this is a true reflection of the generosity of Qwest employees.
  • The Qwest Foundation provided a 75 percent match to employees' contributions resulting in a total gift of $5.1 million to communities across the country. It is the largest gift the foundation and Qwest employees have made through the campaign in the past decade.
  • Current and former Qwest employees volunteered more than 1 million hours in the community, the equivalent of more than $20 million of in-kind resources to non-profits.
  • Qwest donated more than 3,000 desktop and laptop computers to community organizations.
  • Qwest's sponsorships of sports teams and venues included community-giving programs such as the "Qwest Leadership Challenge" with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver-based Kroenke Sports Teams; and "Share the Win" with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins and the Iowa Cubs. More than $100,000 was donated through these sponsorship programs.

KEY FACTS ABOUT THE QWEST FOUNDATION IN 2009

  • The Qwest Foundation donated nearly $4 million to pre-K through 12th grade education and other community programs this year, in addition to the employee-giving campaign match. Some of the Qwest Foundation highlights in 2009 were:
    • Awarded $900,000 through the foundation's "Qwest Teachers and Technology Grants" program to educators who have developed creative ways to use technology to improve student learning.
    • Sponsored NetSmartz411.com, the "Internet Safety Helpdesk" operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®, with a grant of $350,000; NetSmartz411.com provides visitors with information about keeping young people safe while they surf the Web.
    • Awarded more than $350,000 through the foundation's matching-time program to nonprofit organizations and schools where Qwest employees volunteered.
    • Donated more than $160,000 to programs that provided food backpacks to students who have lost their homes to ensure their families had meals over the weekends.

SUPPORTING QUOTES

Rich Baer, executive vice president, general counsel & chief administrative officer and Qwest Foundation president:

"Qwest is able to deepen its partnerships with local education and community programs thanks to the remarkable generosity of its employees and the Qwest Foundation. In an especially challenging year, Qwest employees continue to answer the call to service, through donations of time and money, and are making a true difference in their communities."

Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide:

"Qwest is among the top national corporate donors to United Way, and we are grateful for its long history of commitment to community service, especially during these challenging times. This gift from Qwest and its employees is a significant investment in programs that will make our communities better and stronger places to live and work."

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

About Qwest

Customers coast-to-coast turn to Qwest's industry-leading national fiber-optic network and world-class customer service to meet their communications and entertainment needs. For residential customers, [ Qwest ] offers a new generation of [ fiber-optic Internet service ], [ high-speed Internet solutions ], as well as [ digital home phone ], wireless service available through [ Verizon Wireless ] and [ DIRECTV® ] services. Qwest is also the choice of 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies, offering a full suite of network, data and voice services for [ small businesses ], [ large businesses ], [ government agencies ] and [ wholesale customers ]. Additionally, Qwest participates in [ Networx ], the largest communications services contract in the world, and is recognized as a [ leader ] in the network services market by a leading technology industry analyst firm.

About the Qwest Foundation

The Qwest Foundation's core principle is that investing in people and communities provides lasting value for the future. The [ Qwest Foundation ] awards grants to community-based programs that generate high-impact and measurable results, focusing on pre-K through grade 12 education.

The marks that comprise the Qwest logo are registered trademarks of Qwest Communications International Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries.

Contributing Sources