FROM STAFF REPORTS

LIVE OAK – ALLTEL recently donated 150 30-minute calling cards to the families of the 269th National Guard Unit so that they can more easily communicate with loved ones while members of the unit are deployed.



The last of the 269th National Guard Unit soldiers left Live Oak on Feb. 18. They joined the rest of their unit at Fort Stewart.



Accepting the donation from Robert Kelly, area manager for ALLTEL’s Live Oak operations were Sgt. Chuck Bennett, recruiter for the Army National Guard, and Lynn Brannon, secretary/treasurer for the 269th Family Readiness Group. The cards will be distributed by the Family Readiness Group.



“ALLTEL wanted to do something to assist the families during this time,” Kelly said. “Being able to keep the family connected to their loved ones before going overseas is just a small way to help.”



The Family Readiness Group is a support group for the families left behind. The organization also assists by providing non-perishable goods to families whose soldiers have been deployed. ALLTEL, with more than 12 million communications customers and nearly $8 billion in annual revenues, is a leader in the communications and information services industries. ALLTEL has communications customers in 26 states and provides information services to telecommunications, financial and mortgage clients in more than 50 countries.