Even before the initial shockwave of emotions produced by the September 11th events had passed, folks in AT&T began organizing activities to aid the relief efforts. Among these was a diverse group of employees in Middletown and Lincroft, New Jersey, that quickly came together to plan and hold a drive for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. By the end of the following week, this group had collected over $30,000 from fellow associates, much of which is being matched by the AT&T Foundation. It is a testament to the core values the corporation nurtures in its employees that this outpouring of compassion and generosity was transformed into valuable monetary contributions so quickly.

From Many, A Single Voice

On September 12th, the AT&T Foundation announced that it was donating $1 million to the American Red Cross, and that it was matching employee donations up to $300,000. Acting on that, the executive committee of the 4A-AT&T Southern New Jersey Chapter began debating how it could help in the relief efforts, such as encouraging members to donate by matching contributions as it had done for the India earthquake at the beginning of the year. Then, an e-mail from the president of HISPA Jersey Shore Chapter, Mayra Caceres, arrived. She was contacting leaders of the local Business Resource Group (BRG) chapters about partnering together in a joint relief effort. That set into motion a swirl of activity involving members of WATT, IDEAL, HISPA, Alliance, and 4A, as well as Pioneers and GRE personnel from Middletown and Lincroft. All agreed that a combined effort would demonstrate unity at a time of great confusion and concerns.

A Veteran Organizer

Satya Dosapati, a 4A member, heard the call and wasted no time joining the planning group. With his earlier experience organizing the earthquake fund drive, he and Mayra co-led the discussions on what activities this BRG partnership could spearhead. By Monday, September 17th, the group had decided on a fund drive that would facilitate people making donations to the American Red Cross. By mid-afternoon the following day, all logistics were finalized. E-mail and Audix notifications were sent out to folks in the Middletown and Lincroft facilities, thanks to the full support of our GRE colleagues.

A Gratifying Two Days

Volunteers from the BRGs and Pioneers took shifts staffing tables in front of the cafeterias and the Pioneers shop on September 19th and 20th. Folks who had their checkbooks handy stopped by on the first day to write a check for the American Red Cross. Each was given a reminder on how to call in their donation for the AT&T Foundation match. Many more folks made a mental note and brought in their donations the second day, resulting in a collection that was roughly twice that of the first day. Among the generous contributions was even the considerable leftover balance of a defunct coffee club.

"Contributions were received by the American Red Cross with great emotion and appreciation."

Satya, Mayra, and the team had one task left after the donations were consolidated and presented to a local American Red Cross chapter: thanking everyone. On Monday, September 24th, the two sent out a broadcast e-mail to the residents of the Middletown and Lincroft buildings thanking all contributors and volunteers. It stated that the "contributions were received by the American Red Cross with great emotion and appreciation." Fellow AT&T associates had contributed $30,460. On top of that, the 4A chapter added $5000 in matching funds and 4A National pledged another $5000 towards relief efforts. Wrapping up the entire effort, Mayra and Satya placed a brief Thank You article in the October 1st AT&T Today publication.

The Common Bond and the spirit of serving and giving back to the community are not merely words at AT&T. They bring the best out of each and everyone of us, especially in these trying times. Those touched by the horrible events of September 11th can take comfort that the people here in Middletown and Lincroft, one small corner of the world, are committed to making a difference. And the partnership of AT&T organizations and its members that made this one fund drive successful will serve as a model for more efforts to come.

— Suwathin Phiansunthon