AT&T: Pioneers spark community change through project at Buckhorn State Park

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Volunteers Install Eco-Box as Part of Project Celebrating Organization’s Centennial

BUCKHORN STATE PARK, June 14, 2011 – AT&T Pioneers in Wisconsin today celebrated the organization’s 100th anniversary by installing an Eco-Box at Buckhorn State Park as part of its “Sparking a Change in Community Parks” project.

The project was created to recognize and commemorate the Pioneers’ 100 years of service to the community by installing interpretive Eco-Boxes at 10 state parks throughout Wisconsin, including Buckhorn State Park. Established in 1971, Buckhorn State Park is a paradise for water recreationists, hunters, hikers, campers and nature lovers.

Local Pioneers are partnering with park staff from the Department of Natural Resources to install the Eco-Boxes in 10 parks throughout June. The Eco-Boxes are hand-powered audio interpretive devices that provide information on the parks and their natural and cultural resources.

“We are pleased to partner with the state Department of Natural Resources on this exciting project,” said Karen Schilling, President of the AT&T Wisconsin Pioneers. “There are nearly 53 million visitors to our Wisconsin state parks every year. Through this project, we hope to enhance the educational experience of our park visitors.”

“These Eco-Boxes will help enrich the educational experience for visitors this summer at Buckhorn State Park and at parks throughout Wisconsin,” said Dan Schuller, Parks and Recreation Director with the Department of Natural Resources. “The many volunteer hours dedicated by the Pioneers will enhance the overall visitor experience and really make our parks shine.”

The AT&T Wisconsin Pioneers were awarded $33,600 for the project from the Pioneers Volunteer Community Grant Program, designed to commemorate the Pioneers’ 100th Anniversary, and raised an additional $10,000 for the project. The Wisconsin Pioneers selected the Department of Natural Resources to benefit from the grant, and are also donating their time and additional resources to make an impact on the local level. The national initiative provided 21 grants totaling more than $520,000 to communities in 19 states across the country.

About AT&T Pioneers

The Pioneers trace their roots back to a Boston meeting in 1911, where Alexander Graham Bell, along with 241 others, formed the Telephone Pioneers of America, an organization created to promote fellowship among veteran telephone company employees. During the past 100 years, the Pioneers organization has evolved and grown into one of the largest international volunteer organizations in the world – volunteering millions of hours and donating millions of dollars to various community causes.

More than 300,000 AT&T employees and retirees are involved in the AT&T Pioneers volunteer organization. In 2010, AT&T employees and retirees, donated nine million hours of time, worth more than $192 million, to community outreach activities- much of it led by the AT&T Pioneers.