About Us

Calling All Communities

FAQs

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW 

  1. How does the program work?
    U.S. Cellular is donating another $1 million to schools. The 18 schools receiving the most votes will each receive a one-time award from U.S. Cellular to use any way they choose.
  2. How many schools will win this year?
    This year, 18 schools — K through 12, private and public — are eligible to win. The school with the most votes will win $150,000. Seventeen other schools will win $50,000 each.
  3. When does Calling All Communities voting begin and end?
    The campaign kicks off on September 9th at 10:00 a.m. (CT) and ends on October 6th at 11:59 p.m. (CT).
  4. Which schools are eligible for this program?
    Any public or private school (Grade K-12) within the 50 United States is eligible.
  5. Are schools that are in the same school districts, counties, cities or towns of a previous winning school eligible to win?
    Yes, schools that are in the same school districts, counties, cities or towns of a previous winning school are eligible to win. Only our 2009 and 2010 winning schools are excluded from winning this year's Calling All Communities campaign.
  6. Do you have to purchase something to vote?
    No purchase is necessary to vote.
  7. What if a person does not have Internet access?
    Those who do not have Internet access at home are encouraged to vote at a family member's, neighbor's or friend's house, or try their local school or library.
  8. What if a person does not have an email address?
    A valid unique email address and phone number is required to vote in this program. There are many free email accounts available online such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo.
  9. Will schools in larger metropolitan areas have an unfair advantage getting votes?
    Our past winners have included schools large and small, public and private, from urban and rural communities. The key to a school's success will be mobilizing their community via word-of-mouth.
  10. How can schools use the award?
    Winning schools can use the funding for projects of their choice. Previous winners used their awards in a variety of ways, including technology updates, a new computer lab, a new science lab, rebuilding a storm-damaged gymnasium, building a new playground and creating a "Believe in Something Better" scholarship program. The school gets to decide
  11. How can I get the list of schools that won last year?
    Last year's Calling All Communities winners are currently posted on the Calling All Communities website at http://www.uscellular.com
  12. How many votes did the winning schools receive in last year's campaign?
    We do not disclose how many votes each school received, but the winning schools beat out more than 6,800 schools across the country. More than 430,000 votes were cast.
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VOTING 

  1. How do people vote?
    Anyone 18 years or older (19 or older if a resident of NE) will be able to come into a U.S. Cellular or authorized agent store to get a code to use online to vote once daily for the school(s) of their choice. The online voting site will go live on September 9th at 10:00am CT. All voting is completed online at http://www.uscellular.com. Paper voting is not an option. To vote once daily throughout the duration of the campaign, visit http://www.uscellular.com. Then, enter the code on your card. You must have a valid, unique email address and phone number to vote. Official rules are available at uscellular.com.
  2. Who is eligible to vote?
    Listed below is the eligibility provision from the official rules that can also be found at uscellular.com. This Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of any of the United States of America except New York or Florida, who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry (19 or older if a resident of NE), and who receive a voting code by visiting a U.S. Cellular store in one of the states U.S. Cellular operates in (CA, IL, IN, IA, KS, MD, ME, MI, MO, MN, NE, NH, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI and WV) or activates, renews or adds additional line(s) of service through Telesales. Void where prohibited by law.
  3. Do you have to be a U.S. Cellular customer to vote?
    No. Anyone, including customers and non-U.S. Cellular customers, over the age of 18 (19 or older if a resident of NE) is eligible.
  4. Does a school need to be registered for the campaign?
    You do not need to register or add your school. No need to worry if your school is not in the database as we have purchased several school lists and have pre-populated that information on the site. However, if your school isn't listed, there will be a write-in feature available where you can manually add your school.
  5. Can people do a text to vote?
    There is no text to vote option.
  6. Can votes be cast for a school district instead of just one school?
    Any public or private school (Grade K-12) within the 50 United States is eligible. You must name a specific school: entering just the name of a school district, alone, or other general description of a school that does not contain the school's actual name and location, or the names of more than one school on an entry form, will not be accepted, and will invalidate the entry. Since there are no strings attached to the winnings, it is up to the schools to decide whether to share the funds with the district or other schools. Many communities choose to rally together and pick a school to support.
  7. Can more than one person use the same email address to vote?
    No. A valid, unique email address and phone number is required of each individual to vote in this program. There are many free email accounts available online such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo.
  8. Can a school be added or removed from the drop-down list on the voting website?
    We have purchased several schools lists which make up the online database and to be fair and accurate, we are unable to add or remove any schools to the drop down list. If a school isn't found on the drop down list, there is an opportunity to use the write-in option to vote for your school. There also is a Yellow Pages link on the page to help voters find their school addresses.
  9. How many times can someone vote?
    An individual can cast one vote per day throughout the campaign, unless awarded two votes per day as a first prize winner.
  10. Can you vote for more than one school?
    Because each person can cast one vote per day throughout the campaign, one vote can be cast per day for the same or different schools.
  11. What if I lose my voting code?
    Voting codes cannot be replaced.
  12. What if I forget or lose my voting code and I have already registered and voted?
    If you have registered and have already cast a vote, you will see a Forgot Your Voter Code prompt online, which will help you to retrieve your voting code associated with your unique email address.
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NEW PROMOTIONAL ELEMENTS FOR 2011 CAMPAIGN 

  1. What promotional elements are being added to this year's campaign?
    When an individual receives a voting code, they will also have the chance to win two different prizes: one additional vote for a total of two votes each day during the campaign or a year of free service on U.S. Cellular's Primary Plus Plan. Voters only need to peel off the designated area on the voting card to determine if they are a winner.
  2. Who is eligible to win a prize?
    Individuals must register as a voter and cast a vote to be eligible to win an incentive prize.
  3. How do voters claim their prizes?
    Winners of the prizes will not be awarded prizes in-store. Listed below is the prize claim provision from the official rules that can also be found at uscellular.com.
  4. Grand Prizes:
    By voting, you will provide U.S. Cellular with the information it needs to contact you for purposes of fulfilling the prize. U.S. Cellular will contact you initially by email. If you fail to place a vote, you will forfeit any right you may have had to receive a Grand Prize. Grand Prizes will be shipped (if applicable) to winners by mail or courier, and all Grand Prizes will otherwise be fulfilled, approximately thirty (30) days following the end of the Sweepstakes Period and the verification of all such winners and their Game Cards.
  5. First Prizes:
    You may begin to place two (2) votes per day on the day which you receive the potential winning Game Card. Your two (2) votes are in lieu of, and not additional to, the one (1) vote you were permitted to make daily before you won a First Prize.

    Associates of U.S. Cellular and TDS, its subsidiaries, affiliates, sales representatives, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, advertising agencies, promotional agencies, and the officers and directors of each of the foregoing are NOT eligible to win one of the voter prizes.
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CAMPAIGN UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 

  1. How can I find out how a school is doing during the campaign?
    After the campaign launches on September 9, U.S. Cellular will begin posting periodic updates of the top schools receiving votes at uscellular.com as well as on U.S. Cellular's Facebook page.
  2. When will results be announced?
    Winning schools will be announced in late October and November 2011.
  3. Will U.S. Cellular publicize the final results?
    Yes. U.S. Cellular will promote the winning schools via local and national media, on our Web site at uscellular.com, on U.S. Cellular's official Facebook page and on our community boards located in our stores.
  4. Who can I contact for more information?
    For additional questions, please contact the Public Affairs team at callingallcommunities@uscellular.com. Official rules are available on uscellular.com.
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