U.S. Cellular and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Va Celebrate Black History Month

U.S. CELLULAR AND BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA ANNOUNCE RETURN OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH ART CONTEST

Public invited to vote for the top 10 drawings at area U.S. Cellular stores Feb. 4-28, 2013


U.S. Cellular (NYSE: USM) and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia are pleased to announce the return of the Black History Month Art Contest which is now in its sixth year. The contest is designed to honor influential African-Americans and inspire students’ creativity.

“We believe in partnering with the community to celebrate our county’s rich culture, heritage and diversity,” says Dana Dorcas, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in the Mid-Atlantic, “At U.S. Cellular we’re about connecting people. By sharing the success of our heroes and role models, we can learn to build better futures for ourselves and our children.”

Members of nine area Boys & Girls Clubs in Roanoke, Christiansburg and Shawsville were invited to select an influential African-American and develop his or her likeness into an original 8.5 x 11 portrait using any art medium. From those submissions the Boys & Girls Clubs determined the top 10 finalists.

“Rewarding relationships with partners like U.S. Cellular help us inspire young people to recognize important contributions that people have made and use their creative expression at the same time,” said Laurie Gibbons, chief professional officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia.

In the past five years, more than 1,500 club members have participated in the contest and the competition gets tougher every year. The Boys & Girls Clubs received several hundred submissions from nine area clubs this year before narrowing the field to the final 10 contestants. Last year’s first place winner was Logan Baker from Bonsack Elementary in Roanoke County who won for his portrait of NFL football player Deion Branch.

The top 10 finalists’ entries will be on display Feb. 4-Feb. 28 at area U.S. Cellular stores in Salem, Roanoke and Christiansburg, where the public can view and vote for their favorites. The public determines the winners based on the number of votes. The top three will win prizes, with first prize winning a $500 gift card, and will be announced at a special ceremony in March. Voting will take place at the following locations:

U.S. Cellular
4760 Valley View Blvd. #30
Roanoke, Va.
540-362-9774
Mon.-- Fri., 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sun. 12 – 5 p.m.

U.S. Cellular
3260 Electric Road Ste. 503
Roanoke, Va.
540-725-5887
Hours: Mon.-- Sat. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sun.12 – 5 p.m.

U.S. Cellular
1420 West Main
Salem, Va.
540-375-6760
Hours: Mon. – Fri., 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sun.12 – 5 p.m.

U.S. Cellular
103 Conston Ave.
Christiansburg, Va.
540-382-2656
Hours: Mon. – Fri., 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sun.12 – 5 p.m.


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 nationwide network that has the highest call quality of any national carrier. Currently, 58 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds and 87 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.


About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia was incorporated in 1997, when it was known as The Boys & Girls Club of Roanoke Valley. Since then, Clubs throughout Roanoke and in the New River Valley have arisen with the support of the original Roanoke club at 9th Street in SE Roanoke. Together, the clubs now operate as a regional effort, working together to maximize resources and serve children. The organization is affiliated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the nation's fastest growing youth development agency. Regionally, over 1,000 youth in the Roanoke and New River Valley areas have become members. Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia is committed to the positive development of quality after school and summer programs. For more information, please visit our site at www.bgcswva.org.