Community Awareness

Community Awareness
Notable Acts of Kindness By Big Business

Nextel Supports Community

In the short time Nextel has been in the area, the organization has more than made itself a supporting member of the community. Before selling a single cellular phone to a paying customer, the company made the decision to give back to the region it now calls home — donating 15 phones and a free year of local service to the Harrisburg and Lancaster School Districts to help improve the safety of the students, faculty, and staff of the schools.

As part of the launch of its all-digital wireless network in the greater Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York areas, Nextel also created a program called "Nextel’s Promise," a five-promise pledge that is intended to better the lives of the youth in area communities. A take-off of the Colin Powell spear-headed program, "America’s Promise," Nextel donated $5000 to the national program, $2000 of which will be used to fund the internship of former East Pennsboro High School student Tiffany Elliot at Powell’s Washington, D.C. office this summer.

The $5000, which was raised in a dawn-to-dusk walk-a-thon that grouped Nextel employees and high school students at John Harris High School, is merely the beginning of a relationship with the community that the company hopes will only grow stronger in time. "We feel that it is very important to give back to the community that we work in," explains Nextel marketing manager Julie Taylor, "and we feel that it is very important to support the America’s Promise program and their efforts in this area."

With its official launch on January 13, Nextel provides a digital phone service unlike any seen in the area. The centerpiece of the launch is the new three-in-one digital wireless service that combines digital cellular, digital two-way radio, and text/numeric paging all in one phone. The features are lesser in cost than most traditional cellular calls and boast a coverage range that extends from the city of Harrisburg to such far-reaching areas as Philadelphia and the Maryland state line.

Through the Nextel Business Network, business customers will be able to enjoy the benefits of Nextel Direct Connect— the two-way radio — and have the capability to speak to up to 100 co-workers simultaneously at the touch of a button.

With the introduction of the service in the greater Harrisburg region, Nextel is expanding upon the regional service that was already in place in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. According to Taylor, an upcoming launch is already in the works in Northeastern Pennsylvania that will expand coverage into Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and Hazleton, part of an effort by the company to provide service into a total of 35 markets by 2001.

"continue to improve our service area so that we can meet the needs of our local business partners."