At Leap and Cricket, “creating value” means much more than profit and loss. It’s about recognizing our responsibility as a lifeline in our customers’ worlds. This is why we are so devoted to supporting the causes our employees and communities cherish. In 2010 alone, Leap and Cricket employees donated nearly 3,000 hours of time volunteering in our communities from coast to coast. We raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes. We connected people in lower-income communities with new opportunities through free broadband service. And we mentored the next generation of wireless industry pioneers.
Some of our ongoing initiatives include:
Leap is proud to participate in an ongoing partnership with Rebuilding Together, a national non-profit organization that provides free rehabilitation for homes in low-income communities. Through our premier sponsorship, more than 1,000 Leap and Cricket volunteers participated in Rebuilding Together renovation projects in 2010. Our employees pitch in on projects across the nation, repairing homes and bringing new life to communities in major metro areas that include Chicago, Denver, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego and Washington, D.C. By providing much-needed painting, plumbing, landscaping or other repair assistance, these events bring about a positive change for a family or a community. In addition to donating a million dollars in cash to support the necessary home repair and community improvement service projects, we are making product donations in the form of phones and service, and broadband modems and service for local affiliates and homeowners for one year. We donated $2 million worth of national and local advertising in the form of Public Service Announcements, to help raise awareness for Rebuilding Together. To find out more, please visit www.rebuildingtogether.org.
With Project Change Access, Leap is leveraging our collective power to change people’s lives by providing access to information – the great equalizer in our society. High-speed Internet access helps children complete homework, and enables their parents to apply for jobs online, get health care information and even take classes themselves. In support of this initiative, Leap has joined forces with a non-profit organization called One Economy, to give free Cricket Broadband service to the people who need it most. Project Change Access began with a pilot program in 2008 in Portland, Oregon, where we gave away two years of free Cricket Broadband service to hundreds of low-income families. We brought the program to Washington, D.C. in December 2009, where we pledged to offer free Cricket Broadband service to school children for two years. As part of this initiative, we also partnered with Google and QUALCOMM to give computers to the children’s families.
We encourage our employees to suggest new ways to contribute to the communities. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. If you would like to invite Leap to participate in a charitable cause, contact us here.
