Sprint Relay Signs on as Platinum Sponsor for "Grow with CSD" Fundraising Campaign Event

Online, September 27, 2011 (Newswire.com) - In June, CSD announced that Academy Award Winner for Best Actress Award, producer, author and activist Marlee Matlin will make an appearance at the "Grow With CSD" event, a fundraiser for CSD programs that assist deaf and hard of hearing individuals and their families in gaining equal access to services, communication, education and the social and economic opportunities so many others take for granted. Today, CSD is proud to announce Sprint Relay as the Platinum Sponsor.

On Saturday, Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minn., CSD will host the awareness and fundraising event "Grow With CSD," complete with a children's performance, a presentation from Matlin, a book signing, a press conference, an "Inspiration Lunch," sponsor recognition and a lunch and mingle. Sprint's public and financial support of the Grow With CSD event has ensured the fundraising event's success.

"We are proud to be a Platinum sponsor of the "Grow with CSD" endeavor. . CSD has been a long-standing vendor of Sprint's telecommunications relay services, and we see great value in supporting the provision of social services, particularly for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. We look forward to the awareness this event will bring to important community services.", said Mike Ellis, the National Sprint Relay Director.

"CSD and Sprint Relay have over a 20-year relationship working as partners in the telecommunications relay service industry," said Ben Soukup, CSD chief executive officer. "Our organizations also share a unified belief that communication access is a human right, and we are honored that Sprint is taking that shared belief to a new level, supporting CSD's programs that advocate for, educate and empower deaf and hard of hearing consumers."

CSD is currently seeking various levels of sponsorship for the event. There is one Presenting Level sponsorship available, one Platinum Level sponsorship available, and multiple sponsorships below the premiere sponsorships. For more information on the "Grow With CSD" event, please contact Darlene Zangara, CSD senior vice president/Centers of Excellence, via e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (605) 540-4157.

For more information about CSD, go to www.c-s-d.org, and for Sprint, go to www.sprint.com.

About CSD - CSD (a.k.a. Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.) was established in 1975, primarily to provide sign language interpreting services to deaf and hard of hearing adults in South Dakota. Today, CSD offers employment opportunities to nearly 2,000 individuals in 29 offices and locations all across the nation, providing a broad continuum of social and human services programs, as well as telecommunications relay and contact center services. CSD is a private nonprofit agency dedicated to providing quality services; ensuring public accessibility; and increasing awareness of issues affecting the deaf, hard of hearing and individuals with speech disabilities. For more information, please visit www.c-s-d.org.

About Sprint Nextel - Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.