Community

A TRADITION OF MAKING OUR VOICE HEARD

 West Alabama was named “The Black Belt” for the rich loamy soil that made the region ideal for planters in the Antebellum South. However, it was in the 20th century where our region proved to be truly fertile ground. That was when West Alabama produced a bumper crop of legendary musical artists. Many of America's leading blues musicians, country singers and rock and roll legends, from Hank Williams to Clarence Carter to The Blind Boys of Alabama grew up in the Black Belt and flourished in the rich local culture. But it was a few decades later in the 1950's and 1960's when the region was heard on the national stage. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Black Belt became a place where not cotton, but the New South, took root and grew strong. In the 21st Century, our region's great visual artists such as the quilt makers of Gees Bend, have work hanging on the walls of major museums. Tune into Alabama Public Radio on Saturday nights and you can catch the popular Sucarnochee Revue (www.jackyjack.com), which brings the area's musical artists and storytellers to listeners in the Southeast's urban centers. Or watch for The Blind Boys of Alabama to come to a stage in your town. It's hardly a coincidence that West Alabama produced a great phone company. We've always had a tradition of making our voice heard.

COMMUNITY IS OUR CALLING

We don't just provide connections to all our communities. We have ties that go back a lifetime. Whether it is the annual Relay For Life events, area little league teams, or church fundraisers, Pine Belt Telephone Company and Pine Belt Wireless employees are there to sponsor, contribute and volunteer. We are all a part of this community and care deeply about the same things that matter most to you: your family and community. Pine Belt is actively involved in economic development for the five counties we do business in: Dallas, Marengo, Wilcox, Choctaw and Perry and support interests in counties surrounding these as well. From school grants to weather preparedness for area communities, we are here and working to make our home a better and safer place to live each day. Click on our Pine Belt Community Calendar for the latest community outreach projects and contact us about your own community events. After all, we're here to make your voice heard.

DIAL UP YOUR FUTURE: SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANTS

Pine Belt Telephone Company is a member of a national organization of rural telephone companies, called OPASTCO (Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies). OPASTCO created FRED (the Foundation for Rural Education and Development) to address the educational and developmental needs of rural areas. FRED is a charitable foundation under section 501 (c ) (3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and is committed to OPASTCO members, their communities and their children, and recognizes the importance of telecommunications to a thriving future in our cherished rural areas.

Our community can benefit from some of the grants that are offered through OPASTCO and Pine Belt has and will continue to encourage and help area groups, organizations and individuals to apply for support to OPASTCO with Pine Belt’s help. To learn more about the grants and scholarships available through OPASTCO, go to www.fred.org and click under “About Us” for guidelines and deadlines for application. Contact us any time if you would like further information on these programs, and connect with a brighter future.

DIALING DOWN INTERRUPTIONS: DO NOT CALL PHONE REGISTRY

Do you receive phone calls from sales people and solicitors on your home phone or cell phone? If you do and you want to stop these calls, you'll be happy to know there is a national DO NOT CALL registry. The Federal Trade Commission allows both cell phones and landline phones to be registered in the NATIONAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY. To register your phone number call: 1-888-382-1222. There is no deadline for adding a phone to the registry. You can even register online at www.donotcall.gov.