AT&T in the Community
AT&T continues to invest significant resources to advance education, strengthen communities and improve lives of Texans.
Through philanthropic initiatives and collaboration, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation support projects that create opportunities, make connections and address community needs where its customers live and work.
From 2008 through 2011, AT&T and its employees contributed more than $101.7 million through corporate, employee and AT&T Foundation giving programs in Texas.
Historically, supporting education has been a major focus for Dallas-based AT&T, and education today continues to be a key philanthropy focus as the company is driven to help students succeed—in school, in the workforce and in life.
In 2008, the company launched AT&T Aspire, specifically focused on confronting the high school dropout crisis to help ensure that students graduate prepared for the future challenges of continuing education and the workforce.
In 2012, AT&T renewed its commitment to Aspire with a $250 million investment planned over five years. In Texas, $18,616,602 has been invested through the Aspire program.
In Texas, the company also provided Job Shadow opportunities for 4,425 students, teaming them up with employees to help them learn the educational background and skills they need to succeed on the job.
The company is also committed to operate in a way that increases efficiency and minimizes our impact on the environment. For example, as of December 2011, AT&T operated 496 alternative-fuel vehicles in Texas. And in 2011, it invested $14,604,211 in 660 energy-efficiency projects in the state, resulting in an expected 37,234,829 kilowatt hours of annualized energy savings.
Each year, 300,000 of our employees and retirees work to enhance their communities by taking part as AT&T Pioneers and volunteering millions of hours. In 2011, AT&T employees and retirees in Texas donated more than 2.6 million hours of personal time to community outreach activities—worth more than $56.8 million.
Also, this year AT&T continues its “It Can Wait” public awareness campaign focused on a simple, powerful message: No text is worth dying for. AT&T plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on the campaign in 2012 and has made it an ongoing commitment in future years.
The need for the campaign is underscored by a recent AT&T survey that found 97 percent of teens say they know that texting is dangerous, but the survey also found 75 percent of teens surveyed say that texting while driving is “common” among their friends. They also responded that almost all teens (89 percent) expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less – and that 77 percent of teens report seeing their parents text while driving.
AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign is comprised of several key initiatives, including:
Encouraging its 240,000 employees – including about 35,000 employees in Texas — to take the pledge and, in turn, urge all people to commit that they will never text and drive.
Educating the public using TV ads on the dangers of texting while driving that will run during high-profile events and teen-focused programs.
Working to provide a toolkit of no-texting-while-driving information to every high school in the country.
Launching an online driving simulator at www.itcanwait.com – so that anyone with access to the Internet can experience the dangers of texting while driving.
Bringing an in-car simulator to more than 200 locations before the end of this year. In Texas, this has included opportunities to allow students and the public to experience the simulator in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and other cities.
Enlisting others – including law enforcement, educators, national retailers, consumer safety groups, legislators and the entire wireless industry – to join the no-text-and-drive movement. So far, more than 130 mayors, city councils and public bodies in Texas have adopted proclamations to urge citizens not to text and drive.
The need for the “It Can Wait” campaign is timely, and those involved in the Texas Conference for Women are encouraged to take the pledge and visit www.itcanwait.com to learn more.