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TDS - Boxes and boxes of donated toys, food, cash, gift cards, supplies delivered to area non-profit agencies
[December 14, 2012]

TDS - Boxes and boxes of donated toys, food, cash, gift cards, supplies delivered to area non-profit agencies


(ENP Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ENP Newswire - 14 December 2012 Release date- 13122012 - Boxes of goodies have been sorted and are en route to five local non-profit organizations around Dane County.

TDS employees brought in toys (e.g., trucks, books, dolls, board games, stuffed animals) as well as coffee pots, linens, pillows, pet food, and food of all varieties - to help others throughout the area enjoy the holidays.

'It's truly impressive to see all of the toys, food and gifts donated by our employees,' says Andrew Petersen, vice president of External Affairs and Communications at TDS. 'Knowing there are so many in need this holiday season and seeing how our employees are stepping in to help is heartwarming and inspiring.' For weeks, employees were busy filling bins at TDS offices all around Dane County. The donations come from Telephone and Data Systems Inc. and TDS Telecommunications Corp. offices in Madison, Monona, Middleton, and Waunakee to help make the holidays a happy time for all. All-told, 13 organizations are getting help from TDS this month, including: Toys for Tots -Nearly 2,000 items filled three large-oversized speed-packs (4'x4'x4' boxes). There were games, toys, puzzles, stuffed animals and much more.



TDS Giving Tree supports Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, Dane County Humane Society, Independent Living - Lists were hung from trees placed throughout TDS offices to fulfill the wishes of area families, children, and pets. In total, $640 in gift cards were donated and so many items-enough to fill four 4'x4'x4' speed-pack boxes.

Salvation Army - Nearly 100 TDS employees and family members are volunteering their time to ring bells at the Copps Food Center on Junction Road.


Porchlight - Employees are helping 19 families and 40 individuals have a better holiday this year. The employees volunteered to be Porchlight Angels, donating gifts and about 500 pounds of food.

Food Pantries - TDS donated $12,000 in 2012 to food pantries in Verona, Monona, Middleton, Waunakee, Madison, and Belleville, at the beginning of summer and around Thanksgiving. TDS also donated $1,425 to Green Cares Food Pantry in Monroe, Wis.

Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin - More than $250 in cash and nearly 1,500 boxes and cans of food (overflowing two 4'x4'x4' boxes and four barrels) was collected. In addition, TDS employees were invited to choose which non-profit agency should receive a $7,000 donation (in lieu of a corporate holiday party). For the fifth year in a row, employees chose Second Harvest Foodbank as the recipient.

Petersen admits that employees' holiday efforts are impressive again this year. He says, 'Helping organizations is a year-round activity at TDS. We have a group of dedicated employees coordinating volunteer activities nearly every month. It's part of our corporate culture and one more way to connect with our customers and communities.' In addition to all the holiday donations, TDS hosted five blood drives in 2012 for the American Red Cross. Coupling the blood drive totals and the One-A-Week blood donor club, TDS employees have donated more than 330 pints of blood so far this year. TDS will host its first blood drive of 2013 on Jan. 7.

Through the first 10 months of 2012, TDS employees used paid time off to volunteer more than 1,200 hours to help others. Many employees used this time to answer phones during the Wisconsin Public Television's spring auction, to deliver Meals on Wheels, and to help at area schools. Employees and TDS also contributed more than $180,000 to the United Way of Dane County in 2012.

Not only does TDS support employee involvement, the company also gets involved, providing financial support for many area non-profit organizations. In 2012, in Dane County, TDS provided more than $95,000 in support to: American Red Cross Real Heroes Dean Foundation Free Clinics Journey Mental Health Center Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Ronald McDonald House Family Room at St. Mary's Hospital Domestic Abuse Intervention Services Porchlight Challenger Ball program United Way Day of Caring in Middleton TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS) is the seventh largest telecom provider in the U.S. For more than 40 years, the company has been connecting people with high-speed Internet, phone, and TV entertainment services in hundreds of rural, suburban, and metropolitan communities across 31 states. Today, TDS has more than 1.1 million equivalent access lines in service and 2,700 employees. Business customers select from the latest technologies, including: VoIP (managedIP) phone service, dedicated Internet, data networking, and hosted-managed services. Visit www.tdstelecom.com or www.tdsbusiness.com for more information.

TDS Telecommunications Corp. also manages the operations of VISI Incorporated, TEAM Technologies, OneNeck IT Services Corp., and Vital Support Systems through TDS Hosted & Managed Services, LLC. These companies employ more than 500 people, who specialize in engineering and management of IT infrastructure, including: hosted application management, managed hosting, enterprise cloud services, and Tier III data centers. Visit: www.visi.com, www.team-companies.com, www.oneneck.com, and www.vitalsupport.com for details.

TDS Telecommunications Corp. headquartered in Madison, Wis. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. [NYSE: TDS]. A Fortune 500 company, Telephone and Data Systems provides wireless, local and long-distance telephone and broadband services to approximately 7 million customers in 36 states through TDS Telecommunications Corp. and U.S. Cellular [NYSE: USM], its majority owned wireless subsidiary. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, Telephone and Data Systems employed 12,300 people as of June 30, 2012. Visit www.teldta.com for investor information.

For more information contact: Cindy Tomlinson, Associate Public Relations Manager / TDS Telecommunications Corp. / 608-664-4471 / [email protected] [Editorial queries for this story should be sent to [email protected]] ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) (c) 2012 Electronic News Publishing -

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