U.S. Cellular Donates to Boys & Girls Clubs COVID-19 Relief Fund

U.S. Cellular has donated $325,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs COVID-19 Relief Fund to support kids, families and communities. The donation will be disbursed directly to more than 50 Clubs in U.S. Cellular’s service regions to support the most immediate needs of youth in those areas. This includes $10,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria.

“Boys & Girls Clubs have always been a pillar in the neighborhoods they serve, but this pandemic has shined a light on just how much impact their programming and services have on kids, families and communities,” said Deirdre Drake, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for U.S. Cellular. “As local Club leaders are doing whatever it takes to care for our youth, we want to do our part to ensure that they have the resources to provide these critical services while staying safe and healthy.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs COVID-19 Relief Fund helps ensure Clubs can continue critical COVID-19 response work. These services include providing immediate and near-term relief efforts such as:

· Distributing food, bottled water and other necessary supplies
· Operating for longer hours to provide childcare for families of essential workers and first responders
· Offering virtual learning and programming to keep kids and teens engaged and on-track academically
· Playing a critical role in helping kids recover following the crisis by helping heal youth trauma and enabling teens to contribute to the workforce as the economy rebuilds

"We stand together with U.S. Cellular as we continue to provide support to our local Boys & Girls Clubs and their communities, especially our youth who are trying to navigate during this difficult time," said Julie Teer, chief development and public affairs officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "We are so thankful to U.S. Cellular for their dedication to our mission. We hope others will join us in supporting Clubs in their local community."

Over the past five years, U.S. Cellular has donated $5 million to provide K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educational opportunities to Boys & Girls Club youth at more than 50 clubs across the country. This includes $60,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria and a total of $505,000 to clubs across Illinois since 2015. In addition to monetary donations, local U.S. Cellular associates have spearheaded the annual Black History Month Art Contest, helped beautify club grounds and supported the Spring Extravaganza event.

The company has a longstanding commitment to the community and education and has contributed more than $15.1 million to youth since 2009. For more information about U.S. Cellular’s corporate responsibility initiatives, please go to www.uscellular.com/about/community-outreach. For more information on U.S. Cellular’s response to COVID-19, including how it is taking care of customers and associates, please go to https://www.uscellular.com/covid-19.