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| AG Communication Systems Employees Give More Than 20,000 Hours of Volunteer Service to Nonprofit Organizations in 1999 |
PHOENIX, March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- AG Communication Systems announced today
that its employees donated more than 20,000 hours in personal time to
community nonprofit organizations last year. The AG Communication Systems
Foundation contributed an additional $80,000 to these nonprofit groups through
the company's Volunteer Initiatives Program (VIP). To encourage and recognize
community involvement, VIP links cash donations of up to $1,000 per year with
employee time volunteered to nonprofit agencies.
"We're proud of the many employees who play a critical role in building
stronger communities through involvement in social service agencies, food
banks, schools and youth mentoring programs," said Jeff Seigel, president and
chief executive officer. "We're pleased to match the volunteer hours that
employees give with additional cash contributions."
Michael Sale, a veteran AG Communication Systems employee with nearly 16
years of service, exemplifies the spirit of the company's volunteers. Sale
has volunteered for more than a decade with Parents Anonymous of Arizona, an
organization dedicated to preventing child abuse by strengthening families.
Sale is a mentor and advocate for Steven, a 15-year-old boy who has lived most
of his life bouncing from group home to group home.
"I started spending time with Steven without expecting to get anything
back, but I think I get much more than he does," said Sale. "I just wanted to
give him some stability and a sense of belonging. It's really rewarding to
see his face light up when we're together, and I feel good knowing that he has
somewhere to turn in a crisis. Steven is a part of our family now and will be
in our lives forever."
Sale is also one of 37 AG Communication Systems employees who volunteer as
reading mentors at Mirage Elementary School's CARES (Caring and Reading Equal
Success) program. In total, Sale donated more than 300 hours of his personal
time last year.
In Phoenix, 66 employees donated 11,000 hours to a variety of community
organizations. These 48 nonprofit community organizations in the Valley will
receive a total of $47,000. Some of the local nonprofit groups that benefited
from the efforts of more than one employee include Camp Sunrise, Junior
Achievement and Flights for Life.
VIP donations are based on the type of group and the number of hours of
personal time an employee devotes to volunteer service in a 12-month period.
For example, volunteers for scouting troops and youth sports teams earn from
$50 to $500 for donations of 25 to 150 hours of time. Volunteers for other
nonprofit social service organizations earn from $100 to $1,000 for donations
of 25 to 150 hours of time.
VIP is administered by the AG Communication Systems Foundation, a separate
nonprofit corporation that contributes financial donations to nonprofit
organizations whose activities benefit the company, employees and interests of
local communities.
AG Communication Systems, a subsidiary of Lucent Technologies, is a
leading provider of advanced communication products and services, including
switching, access and wireless products. AG Communication Systems' GTD-5(R)
digital switching systems serve more than 17 million business, government and
residential subscribers. The company employs approximately 2,100 people,
including 1,000 employees at its Phoenix headquarters. Additional information
is available on the company's web site at http://www.agcs.com.
All products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective owners. GTD-5 is a registered trademark used under license
from GTE Corporation.
SOURCE AG Communication Systems
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CONTACT:
Michael Mitchell of AG Communication Systems,
623-581-4198, pager 800-759-8888 PIN 1351319, mitchelm@agcs.com
