Used Wireless Phones Generate Nearly $600,000 for Charity Through Sprint Project Connect

From: PRNewswire (press release) - May 28, 2003

Sprint's Nationwide Phone Collection and Recycling Campaign Huge Success After First Year

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In the first year of
Sprint Project Connect, a nationwide wireless phone collection and recycling
program, Sprint raised nearly $600,000 for charity, including Easter Seals,
the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) and the Wireless Foundation.
Sprint also gave $300,000 in grants to Easter Seals and N.O.D. in the past
year, bringing its total donation to nearly $1 million dollars.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030528/CGW008 Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO )
"Sprint Project Connect continues to collect record numbers of used
wireless phones each month," said Len Lauer, president, PCS Division of
Sprint. "Sprint has chosen to support people with disabilities through
community outreach and charitable giving. Sprint Project Connect allows
people across the nation to join in the cause by donating their used wireless
phones at any Sprint Store in America."
Sprint Project Connect was the first nationwide campaign in support of the
Wireless Foundation's Donate a Phone Return Outreach Initiative - a program
designed to help wireless carriers raise funds for their charity of choice
through the collection of used wireless phones. In addition, Sprint Project
Connect serves an important environmental need, as nearly 25 percent of all
phones collected in the first year of the program were recycled.*
Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin served as the national spokesperson
for Sprint Project Connect in 2002. She became deaf at the age of 18 months
due to a childhood illness. However, that has not prevented her from living a
full life and becoming a successful actress.
"It was an honor to partner with Sprint in the initial development and
rollout of this campaign, and I'm delighted it has raised significant funds in
such a short time," said Matlin. "The more resources we can provide to
organizations like Easter Seals and the N.O.D., the more opportunities we open
up for people with disabilities."
Sprint Project Connect collection boxes can be found at every Sprint Store
and select Easter Seals locations across America and in Puerto Rico. All
makes and models of phones are accepted.
*Older and obsolete models of wireless phones are accepted but may have no
value to the Wireless Foundation and thus may not generate funds for Easter
Seals and the National Organization on Disability. However, these phones are
recycled in an environmentally sound manner. To learn more about Sprint
Project Connect, please visit http://www.sprintpcs.com/projectconnect .

The Campaign Participants

Easter Seals provides services and support to children and adults with
disabilities and their families through 450 centers nationwide. For more than
80 years, people with disabilities seeking greater independence have come to
Easter Seals for therapy and expertise. To learn more, visit http://www.easter-seals.org .

The National Organization on Disability, founded in 1982, promotes the
full and equal involvement of America's 54 million men, women and children
with disabilities in all aspects of life. Information about N.O.D.'s
programs, including community participation, employment, and emergency
preparedness for people with disabilities, can be found at http://www.nod.org .

The Wireless Foundation, founded in 1993, oversees philanthropic programs
that help put wireless technology to work addressing the challenges of
society. For additional information, visit http://www.wirelessfoundation.org .

ReCellular, Inc. is the world leader in providing profitable solutions for
the reuse of used wireless handsets. Founded in 1991, ReCellular has helped
pioneer charitable collections and logistics. For more information, please
visit http://www.recellular.com .

About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: FON , PCS) is a global communications company serving more
than 26 million business and residential customers in over 70 countries. With
approximately 72,000 employees worldwide and nearly $27 billion in annual
revenues, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and
deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States'
first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1
Internet backbone. Sprint provides local voice and data services in 18 states
and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network
in the United States.

© 2002 Silicon Valley Business Ink. All rights reserved.