U.S. CELLULAR’S BLACK HISTORY MONTH ART CONTEST RETURNS FOR 10TH YEAR

Winners Determined by Local Community Votes

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ROANOKE, Va. (Jan. 23, 2017) In honor of Martin Luther King Day last week, U.S. Cellular joined hundreds of students from The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia today to kick off the10th annual Black History Month Art Contest.

During the month of January, students at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia are encouraged to create an original 8.5 x 11 piece of artwork in tribute of influential African Americans both past and present. They explored the accomplishments and contributions of these impactful figures as the research their subjects.

“We look forward to this event every year,” said Nathan Waddell, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in the Mid-South. “It is incredible to see the amount of creativity that goes in to each entry. U.S. Cellular is committed to the enrichment and education of our youth here in the Greater Roanoke area. This contest provides a great opportunity to connect with the Boys & Girls Clubs in the communities where our associates live, work and volunteer. It is an honor to showcase the amazing talents of these young artists as we pay tribute to influential African Americans and celebrate our country’s diversity.”

The top 10 finalists’ entries will be chosen by a panel of representatives of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia and will be displayed at local U.S. Cellular stores. The public ages 18 and older will be invited to vote on the artwork at the stores from February 1 through February 28. Three winners per Club (1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes winners) will be chosen based on the voting results, and will be announced in early March. Prizes are as follows:

• $150 for 3rd Place
• $200 for 2nd Place
• $500 for 1st Place

“Celebrating this tenure milestone with U.S. Cellular means a great deal to us at the Boys & Girls Club. It shows that U.S. Cellular believes not just in short-term goodwill but in investing in Roanoke for the long-term, and that means a lot. We greatly value our partnership with U.S. Cellular,” said Calvin Curry, Director of Operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia.

To vote (starting February 1) visit U.S. Cellular stores:

U.S. Cellular -- Roanoke
4760 Valley View Blvd # 30
Roanoke, VA 24012
540.362.9774

U.S. Cellular -- Salem
1420 West Main Street
Salem, VA 24153
540.375.6760

For more information about the creation of the submissions or to see the children’s creative artwork in process contact the club at:

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia
1714 9th Street, S.E.
Roanoke, VA 24013

No Purchase Necessary. Entrants who are minors must have parental consent to participate in the Contest. Official Contest Rules, including full entry details and Finalist and Winner selection criteria/voting are available at participating local U.S. Cellular stores and by email request to the Media Contact named below.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier offers coverage where the other carriers don't and a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. U.S. Cellular has the Highest Wireless Network Quality Performance in the North Central Region, according to the J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, and 99 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds. 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 on Out Box Public Relations visit www.outboxcomm.com.

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