10/17/13 – U.S. Cellular Gives Columbia, Missouri Teachers a $500,000 Boost in the Classroom Through Calling All Teachers Campaign

Almost 90 teachers in Missouri received the exciting news from U.S. Cellular that their classroom projects had been funded through the company’s Calling All Teachers campaign. The wireless carrier worked with philanthropic website DonorsChoose.org to fund $500,000 in creative and impactful classroom projects submitted by public school teachers. The local donation of almost $50,000 will benefit more than 8,000 students in Missouri. Two projects at two schools in Columbia were among the projects funded.

U.S. Cellular is dedicated to supporting education and the pressing needs of schools, and Calling All Teachers is one of the ways the company gives back to local communities.

“Teachers work very hard to make every student’s learning experience meaningful and fun, and U.S. Cellular is proud to support teachers’ efforts,” said Jeff Heeley, area sales manager for U.S. Cellular in Columbia. “We are dedicated to the Columbia community and excited to contribute to the education of local students through this program.”

Teachers across the country posted classroom projects that covered a variety of topics, including language and literacy, math and science, music and the arts, health and sports and special needs. Some asked for novels, bookshelves and calculators, while others requested LCD projectors and digital cameras. Parkade Elementary School will receive funds for Help Us Explore Our World. Mill Creek Elementary School will receive funds for Stepping into the Past:  Hands-on History.

“U.S. Cellular’s continued support of education is helping to make an impact in schools across the nation,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. “The company’s donations allow teachers to do more in the classroom, and our children reap the benefits.”

Also, starting on November 4, U.S. Cellular is bringing back its Calling All Communities campaign for the fifth year. Schools can rally community support for the chance to win a share of $500,000 to fund what their students need the most. The top 20 schools that garner the most community votes will each win $25,000 to use as they wish to improve their educational experience. Additional information is now available at www.uscellular.com.

About U.S. Cellular

U.S. Cellular rewards its customers with unmatched benefits and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier has a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices that are all backed by its high-speed network, which has the highest call quality of any national carrier. Currently, 61 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds and nearly 90 percent will have access by the end of 2013. U.S. Cellular was named a J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Champion in 2012 for the second year in a row. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.

For more information, contact:

Jeni Ross, The Hauser Group. (314)436-9090

Kelly Harfoot, U.S. Cellular. (773)355-3697