Qwest encourages its employees to be a part of their communities, and they continue to hear that call to service in impressive ways. In 2009, more than half of Qwest’s employees participated in the annual giving campaign, which is conducted in partnership with the United Way. Qwest current and former employees also volunteered a total of more than 1 million hours to non-profit organizations in their communities, which is the equivalent of more than $20 million of in-kind support.

Serving communities always has been the cornerstone of our business. We will continue our efforts to support public service programs that are working to make our communities great places now and ensuring that they remain that way in the future.

In 2009, Qwest, Qwest people and the Qwest Foundation® continued our commitment to education through financial donations as well as contributions of volunteer time and equipment and other in-kind resources

As Qwest’s charitable giving organization, the Qwest Foundation® focuses on pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education, with the particular goal of supporting programs that provide students with the resources they need to help them succeed in school and prepare them for fulfilling careers.

The Qwest Foundation® supports organizations that provide direct services to students where they learn—in the classroom, after school, through the summer, and at home. We help Big Brothers and Big Sisters mentor and tutor in Colorado. We bring Teach for America teachers into underserved schools in New Mexico. We provide STEM programs for students in Washington and Montana. We support kindergarten readiness programs for parents in Arizona. We sponsor Junior Achievement in cities in Oregon and Utah. In each state, we work with local communities to help fund local needs—always with an eye toward academic success.

Technology is part of our students’ future, so we help deliver innovative uses of technology to classrooms across our local service region. Three years ago, the foundation developed the Qwest Teachers & Technology Grants, which in 2009 awarded more than $900,000 in grants to teachers who found ways to use technology to help students succeed. Here are some examples of winning programs:

Arizona
Dark Skies Protectors at Gold Canyon Elementary School— A collaborative group of second and fifth grade students will study the effects of light pollution in their community. They will work with an astronomer and use a variety of technologies to conduct research, compile data, and create and deliver educational presentations in order to educate other students and community members about this issue.

Idaho
Genesee Elementary School— Elementary students will be able to use 24 heart rate monitors, two pocket PCs and other supporting software and equipment to graph heart rates, set fitness goals and track activities as part of promoting a healthy school.

New Mexico
21st Century Guide to Roadside Geology at Vista Grande High School— The junior and senior classes will be leading an expedition into the roadside geology of New Mexico; from which they will share their knowledge through a digital recreation of the Halka Chronic book, "A Roadside Guide to Geology of New Mexico."

Washington
Cheney Middle School— Eighth-graders will be working alongside architects, construction professionals, city and county officials, educators and the community to design two new schools that are being built in this school district. They will gather an enormous amount of measurement and survey data, learn about the complexity of a school structure and find out how permitting and environmental considerations shape the design of buildings. Students will model their new schools with 3D renderings that must undergo professional and community review.

Technology can be an enormous positive force for education — but it can also create dangers. In 2009, the foundation continued its partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and supported NetSmartz411.org–a free resource that puts NCMEC experts just a phone call or an online question away from giving parents and guardians answers to their questions and concerns on Internet safety.

Despite a challenging economic downturn in 2009, Qwest, its employees and the Qwest Foundation increased their commitment to community service by collectively donating more than $10.5 million to local education and community programs. And, this remarkable level of giving was supplemented by extensive volunteer time, in-kind resources and equipment donations.

The Qwest Foundation awarded $6.4 million in grants to 1,052 nonprofit organizations whose programs and community outreach promote education and learning.

State	Organization	Amount	Contribution Benefit
Arizona	Gilbert Community College	$8,000	CGCC Mathematics Division hosted the Excellence in Math Competition for 7th to 12th grade students to showcase their math talents.
	Luke Air Force Base	$5,000	The Youth Center offered a wide variety of educational programs for 5- to 18-year-olds.
Colorado	Denver Public Schools	$100,000	In its third year of funding, the School Partners Program created 44 partnerships between local companies and schools.
	Western Colorado Math & Science Center	$25,000	The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition provided learning opportunities for students in rural counties in northwest Colorado.
Iowa	Children and Families of Iowa	$6,200	Provided training for early childhood development programs.
	Linn-Mar Community Schools	$14,000	TV studio equipment was upgraded to increase student interest and involvement in technology.
Idaho	Log Cabin Literacy Foundation	$2,500	At the Idaho Writing Camps, 4th to 12th graders worked with professional writers to explore and engage in creative writing journeys of inspiration and imagination using the natural world, cultural and historical sites, local environs and unique opportunities.
	Boise Family YMCA	$5,320	The new math and science portion of HighScope’s Numbers Plus® daily pre-school curriculum was implemented at five early childhood programs.
Minnesota	Pacer Center	$15,000	New activities and materials were developed for National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week to help reduce bullying in schools, recreation programs and community organizations.
	Minnesota Business for Early Learning	$5,000	Launched an interactive Web site for parents to ensure their preschoolers are on track for kindergarten.
Montana	Montana Learning Center	$5,000	Now in its second year, a leadership skills initiative helped 7th to 12th grade teachers improve math and science education on a local and statewide basis.
Nebraska	Western Heritage Museum	$15,000	Scholars-in-Residence program provided thousands of students the opportunity to interact with top national scholars in their community.
	College of Saint Mary’s	$12,000	Operation SMART, a collaboration between the College of Saint Mary (CSM) and Girls Inc. of Omaha, boosted girls’ interest in science and math while educating future teachers to present these subjects in innovative ways.
New Mexico	JA Hispanic Initiative	$10,000	Hispanic students received advice to prepare them for the working world, including specific challenges that confront them and their families.
	Big Brother Big Sisters Central New Mexico	$15,000	Hispanic Mentoring Initiative continued the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ tradition of outreach to at-risk youth by emphasizing connections with Hispanic communities.
North Dakota	Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest	$1,500	The curriculum was extended to more than 4,400 students in 221 classrooms in Fargo and Morehead schools.
	Western Wellness Foundation	$2,500	Expanded services through the Best Friends mentoring program, which provides volunteer mentors to at-risk youth in southwest North Dakota.
Oregon	Oregon Children’s Foundation	$5,000	The Start Marking a Reader Today (SMART) program mobilized volunteers to read weekly with K-3 children who need literacy support. Participating children also received new books each month to keep and read with their families. In 2009, the SMART program delivered service to more than 7,000 children at 201 schools in 28 of Oregon’s 36 counties.
	Portland Schools Foundation	$10,000	Ninth Grade Counts ensured that 1,500 students from throughout Portland who were at high risk of dropping out successfully transitioned from 8th to 9th grade and inspired them to complete high school.
South Dakota	Graham Academy Preschool at the Washington Pavilion	$5,000	Provided start up costs for a new innovative early childhood education program.
	Harvey Dunn Elementary School	$2,500	The Mathematics and Student Thinking project used Cognitively Guided Instruction and "hands-on" learning to benefit students. CGI, is a philosophy of teaching mathematics which encourages the children to solve problems together in a variety of ways.
Utah	The Utah Science Center	$10,000	A collaboration with the Utah State Office of Education on a traveling exhibit that highlighted winners of Qwest Teacher & Technology grants and presented ideas and best practices.
	The Utah Food Bank	$15,000	For the Kids cafe program provided meals in backpacks for kids to take home for the weekend
Washington	Pacific Lutheran University	$10,000	TSPS MESA (Tacoma/South Puget Sound Math, Engineering and Science Achievement Program) invited 40 students from the 8th grade to participate in math knowledge and skills program designed to better prepare them for college.
	Salvation Army	$5,000	The Homework Center tutored low-income and immigrant students that resulted in improved school attendance, better grades and established academic goals for advanced education.
Wyoming	Raising Readers	$5,000	Raising Readers in Wyoming purchased 2,000 children's books to encourage parents to read to their young children during well child visits; medical providers used "talking points" written by Wyoming speech/language specialists to "soft coach" parents
	Boys and Girls Clubs of Park County	$10,000	Project Learn helped children from disadvantaged economic, social and family circumstances succeed in school by using five major components: homework help and tutoring, high-yield learning and leisure activities, parent and adult involvement, collaboration with schools, and incentives.
Other	United Way	2.2 million	The Qwest employee-giving campaign, which is conducted in partnership with the United Way, was a huge success in 2009. More than half of Qwest's employees participated in the campaign, an increase of nearly 20 percent over the previous year. The Qwest foundation provided a 75 percent match to employees' contributions resulting in a total gift of $5.1 million to communities across the country. It is the largest gift the foundation and Qwest employees have made through the campaign in the past decade.

In 2009, the Qwest Foundation and Qwest employees supported United Way organizations in 245 communities.

Each day, Qwest employees deepen the impact of our community commitment by volunteering their time to hundreds of organizations. Employees devote their personal time to tutoring children, feeding the homeless and fostering animals, among a host of other worthy pursuits. In 2009, employees and retirees volunteered more than 1 million hours of service to nonprofit organizations.

The Qwest Foundation supports this work through the Matching Time Program. Qwest employees who volunteer 40 hours of service to a nonprofit within a six-month period are eligible to earn a grant for that organization of at least $500. In 2009, Qwest employees contributed their time and talents to 498 nonprofits, and the foundation honored them with a total of $434,000 in Matching Time grants to those organizations. Thousands of employees volunteer regularly at nonprofit organizations and many choose to take leadership roles on their boards. In 2009, 384 employees volunteered on 536 nonprofit boards. Through this service, Qwest employees provided more than 79,000 hours of volunteer time.

Qwest is a proud sponsor of the Qwest Pioneers, a group of retired and current employees dedicated to volunteer work. The Qwest Pioneers are part of the largest industry-related volunteer organization in the world. Last year, Qwest Pioneers organized hundreds of local volunteer events, including:

• Beeping Easter Egg Hunts
• Beep Baseball
• Special Kids Rodeo-Little Britches
• Talking Book Repair
• Food Bank Volunteer Efforts
• Electronic Maps & Playground Maps
• Support the Troops

Collectively, current and former Qwest employees volunteered more than 1 million hours of service to nonprofit organizations in 2009, which brought a total value of more than $20 million of in-kind donations to our communities.

Sports are a great way to provide students with a well-rounded education. The lessons they learn from developing strategy and tactics, playing by the rules, and teamwork are not only important for playing the game, but also later when they enter the workforce.

Qwest-sponsored education programs with many professional and college sports teams from our local service region in 2009. These team efforts featured community, customer and employee opportunities.

Qwest Group Nights—with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rockies, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Twins and Utah Jazz
Throughout the various sports seasons, Qwest hosted education-based nonprofit organizations at hockey, basketball and baseball games, which brought the excitement of sports to children.

Qwest Leadership Challenge™ — The Qwest Leadership Challenge™ was brought to Arizona, Colorado and Washington communities in 2009 by the Phoenix Suns, FSN Sports, Kroenke Sports, the Seattle Seahawks and Qwest. It promotes and inspires community involvement and rewarded varsity high school athletes for community service.

Students competed for several college scholarships, which were awarded based on exemplary service, leadership and commitment to their communities as demonstrated through an essay and public service.

Colorado State University — Qwest Play Maker Awards
In partnership with CSU Athletics, Qwest developed the Qwest Play Maker Award to recognize 3rd, 4th and 5th graders who demonstrated strong leadership skills and commitment to their schools and communities. Twelve winners were selected during the 2009 CSU football season based on recommendation letters from their principals and teachers, and they participated in coin tosses before games with the CSU team captains. Each winner also received a $250 grant for their school.

Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) — Qwest Player of the Game/Athlete of the Meet
Qwest and OSAA partnered to recognize high school athletes who made a difference in their communities through leadership and service. To be considered for one of six $1,000 college scholarships, athletes were required to have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, complete at least 10 hours of community service, and submit an essay and letters of recommendation.

Kroenke Sports — Read Team with the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche
Read Team encouraged 2nd and 3rd grade students across the seven-county Denver metro area to practice their reading skills. Students were asked to read 20 minutes a day for 20 days in January and February. Each participant received a team bookmark and book log to track their progress, and those who completed the 400-minute goal received an incentive prize from the Nuggets or Avalanche. Students who read additional minutes were entered into a drawing to win more prizes, including game tickets, team merchandise and player appearances. Read Team reaches over 5,000 students annually.

Colorado Rockies — Make an Impact
This free program brought the excitement of the Colorado Rockies to schools with a "Rockies School Rally," a school-wide assembly designed to entertain K–6 students while showing them how to make an impact on their lives and communities. It taught them the importance of staying in school, refusing drugs, getting involved and earning respect. The 45-minute interactive program included a video presentation, recorded player messages, a visit from Dinger, the Rockies’ mascot, and prizes. This program visits more than 30 schools and 12,000 students each year.

Experience Music Project (EMP) — American Sabor – Latinos in U.S. Popular Music
This partnership created educational products and innovative distance learning programs based on the American Sabor–Latinos in U.S. Popular Music exhibit presented by EMP in 2008. Educators were provided with extensive online curricula and posters with a graphic timeline, printed in Spanish and English, depicting the history of Latinos in popular American music. In the last two years, 7,000 posters were mailed to schools in seven states, reaching more than 350,000 students in music, Spanish, social studies and English as a second language classes. The American Sabor exhibit will travel across the U.S. in 2010 and 2011.

University of Colorado — Winning Attitude
Qwest, the official communications partner for University of Colorado Athletics, partnered with the university and FSN Rocky Mountain on the Winning Attitude program. The program honored Colorado middle school students for the difference they make in their communities by celebrating outstanding efforts in sportsmanship, community involvement and teamwork.

Minnesota Twins — Qwest in the Community with Joe Mauer
During the 2009 baseball season, Qwest donated $200 to the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota each time Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer hit an RBI; a total of $10,000 was presented to the organization at the end of the 2009 season.

Iowa Cubs — Share the Win
Qwest, a proud partner of the I-Cubs minor league baseball team, developed the Share the Win program so an area nonprofit organization could earn money with every I-Cubs victory. Thanks to the efforts of the I-Cubs, Qwest donated $5,000 to Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (I-JAG) a non-profit group seeking to increase Iowa high school graduation rates.

Phoenix Suns — Qwest Team Assist
The Phoenix Suns and Qwest teamed to assist varsity high school basketball programs in Arizona. A men’s and women’s basketball team was selected to each receive a $5,000 donation based on their proposals outlining their need for sports equipment.

Arizona Diamondbacks — Share the Win
For each Arizona Diamondbacks win, Qwest donated $100 to Friendly House, an organization that serves immigrant families in Arizona; the total donation was $10,000.