Embracing the holiday spirit by giving back to Alaska nonprofits
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — GCI Gives, the philanthropic arm of Alaska’s largest telecommunications provider, is spreading holiday cheer by giving back to nonprofit partners throughout this season. From sponsoring programs that support youth experiencing homelessness to uplifting young athletes, GCI makes sure that its employees and the company embody the spirit of giving.
For years, GCI employees have participated in the Covenant House Alaska Sleepout for executives. Participants sleep outside to raise awareness and show solidarity for the teens experiencing homelessness. Two employees, Vice President of Customer Experience Angie Burris and Vice President of Project and Construction Management Chris Haddox participated this year. Together, Burris and Haddox raised more than $16,000 for Covenant House Alaska.
“Sleeping out in the cold was easy; what kept me up was pondering how to be an agent of change in our community,” said Burris. “Talking with the young people we were there to support highlighted how Covenant House’s safety and services offer hope and a chance for a new course in life.”
GCI has been a longtime partner with Covenant House Alaska, supporting the organization with $70,000 in cash and in-kind tech donations this year. A group of GCI employees also volunteered during Covenant House Alaska’s holiday lunch and bingo event at the Youth and Engagement Center.
“You can see the excitement on the youths’ faces, and that’s why we’re here,” said GCI Chief Marketing Officer and Covenant House Alaska Board Member Kate Slyker, one of the employee volunteers this year. “These young people haven’t had the easiest time, and we hope that today, they can just have fun playing games, eating pizza, and be a bit carefree.”
Earlier this month, hockey fans gathered for GCI Night at the UAA Avis Alaska Sports Complex to cheer on the UAA Seawolves as they faced off against Augustana University. GCI employees and youth athletes from the Scotty Gomez Foundation cheered on the teams with pom poms and lots of energy. GCI is the official technology sponsor of UAA Athletics and sponsored tech prizes for fans to win at the game.
“We hosted the Scotty Gomez Foundation to help bring more awareness to the program and give them the opportunity to share how the organization lightens the load for Alaska hockey families with scholarships for youth,” shared GCI Gives Contributions and Events Senior Manager Tiffany Vassar.
The night began with a special puck drop by GCI Business Account Manager Amanda Ashton, whose children have participated in the Scotty Gomez Foundation’s youth hockey program.
“For my family, hockey has built lifelong friendships and wonderful memories, and taught my children sportsmanship and leadership skills,” Ashton said. “My daughter and son both have played on the Rams team for a combined 16 seasons, so I’m grateful GCI has shown a spotlight on a program that means so much to families like ours.”
To wrap up the holiday season and end of the year, GCI is donating toys to the Brix Foundation a local nonprofit that supports youth and seniors in need.
About GCI Gives
GCI is one of Alaska’s leaders in corporate philanthropy, donating approximately $2 million each year in cash, products and connectivity to organizations across the state. GCI is committed to giving back to the communities it serves and provides employees with 16 hours of paid leave to volunteer with local organizations. In 2023, nearly 500 GCI employees volunteered more than 5,000 hours. For more information about GCI Gives, visit www.gci.com/gcigives.
About GCI
Headquartered in Alaska, GCI provides data, mobile, video, voice and managed services to consumer, business, government, and carrier customers throughout Alaska, serving more than 200 communities. The company has invested $4.7 billion in its Alaska network and facilities over the past 45 years. Through a combination of ambitious network initiatives, GCI continues to expand and strengthen its statewide network infrastructure to deliver the best possible connectivity to its customers and close the digital divide in Alaska. Learn more about GCI at www.gci.com. GCI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Broadband Corporation (Nasdaq: LBRDA, LBRDK, LBRDP). Learn more about Liberty Broadband at http://www.libertybroadband.com.