Phone Company Helps Customers Connect to Burma, for Free
what:
CREDO Long Distance, the progressive phone service that generates donations with every call, is helping customers reach out with free calls to Burma.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – May 9, 2008 – CREDO Long Distance, the phone service that calls for a better world, announced to its customers today that all their calls to Burma, a country reeling from the devastating effects of a massive cyclone, will be free of charge.
“Like everyone around the world watching this horrific tragedy unfold, we wanted to ensure our customers could stay in touch," said Laura Scher, CEO of CREDO, a division of Working Assets. “We call on the government of Burma to let international relief workers in to help the suffering people of Burma in every way they can,” Scher added.
With the death toll rising to a possible 100,000, one million feared missing from the disaster wrought by cyclone Nargis, and famine and disease a growing concern, staying in touch is one simple way the phone company decided it could help worried loved ones thousands of miles away.
After first hearing about the cyclone, Scher’s reaction was to find out if customers ever called Burma. Some had, and this moved her to set a plan in place to reverse charges for any calls. “We’re the only phone company doing this,” Scher said. The emergency phone relief will last at least a month.
Along with free calls, CREDO, through its parent company Working Assets, has contributed $60 million to social-change organizations working around the world, including Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam America and Mercy Corps.
CREDO members help generate donations to causes they believe in every time they make a call, because CREDO donates 1% of customers charges to the organizations at no extra cost.
about CREDO Mobile:
CREDO Mobile, brought to you by Working Assets, gives customers more than a phone – it gives them a voice by turning every call into a call for progressive social and political change. CREDO Mobile also offers service comparable to the major cell phone companies, including nationwide digital coverage, friendly customer service, and a choice of phones and plans. And, as part of America’s greenest phone company, CREDO Mobile members raise money for environmental and progressive groups while speaking out on critical environmental issues, such as protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. To learn more, visit www.credomobile.com.
about Working Assets:
Working Assets was founded in 1985 to help make the world a better place. Each time customers use its products (CREDO Mobile, CREDO Long Distance or the Working Assets Credit Card), the company generates donations for causes like peace, human rights and the environment. To date, Working Assets has raised more than $60 million for groups like Project Vote, Organic Farming Research Foundation and the ACLU. The company is also a political force, giving customers the opportunity to speak out on critical issues via its Web site (www.credoaction.com), its monthly phone bill and mobile text activism. Since 1991 Working Assets has generated over 10 million calls and letters to corporate and political decision-makers. To learn more, go to www.workingassets.com.