After delivering grant funding to SIU-Carbondale on Wednesday, AT&T was doling out more money Thursday in southern Illinois.
The telecommunications giant delivered Investing in Illinois Awards to Hospice of Southern Illinois and the Lighthouse Shelter, both in Marion.
AT&T vice president for external affairs Jim Maurer says this award provides contributions to organizations and programs that improve lives in their communities.
"They will also receive a check for $2,000 that they can use to help with their existing programs. So, there's not strings attached. It's just take those funds and use them to try to help the program that you're already doing. The ones that I look for are really those ones where the local community is all supportive of it also. It's not just an outside group that happens to be located in the community, but there are community leaders, regular people that are just helping them out as well."
Maurer says he awards around 60 Investing in Illinois Awards across the state each year for groups advancing education, economic growth, new technologies and essential community services.
AT&T also announced a new resource called Digital You, that offers tips and apps to help people of all ages deal with issues like identity theft, cyberbullying and smartphone security.