Be Ready to Be Inspired…

OK, everybody - tonight is the night! The documentary “Beacons of Hope” airs at 8 p.m. ET on the AUDIENCE Network, an AT&T original TV channel. “Beacons of Hope” is about stories of change, positivity, optimism and impact. The film features 5 Chicagoans who are doing their part to help change the city’s narrative… which tends to focus on the 19 neighborhoods most affected by gun violence. 3 AUDIENCE Network producers captured their stories as part of Believe Chicago.?

Believe Chicago began with a series of employee meetings in call centers, garages and stores, many within the neighborhoods. The initiative began last summer and builds on what our employees were already doing to improve their hometown – combating gun violence and unemployment.

I got a chance to meet the "beacons" during their Chicago premiere a few weeks ago. Let me just say it was an extreme honor. Mario Vega, is a sports program coordinator at a local non-profit, teaching boxing to young people – his way of helping to keep them away from drugs and gangs. Rev. Michael Pfleger, a well-known activist providing work-training and educational programs to residents throughout the city. LaToya Winters, is a youth worker who spends her time mentoring and doing social work at Marillac St. Vincent Family Services on the West Side of Chicago. Deanna Hallagan, also gives back to her community, serving as the youth director at Marillac St. Vincent. And Deborah Leverette, is reaching families on Chicago’s far south side as pastor of Greater House of Prayer Church. These are people who genuinely care about making a difference. Their is energy is so positive. Their work is so important. Their impact is so huge.

AT&T is drawing on resources and expertise from every part of its business – engineering, human resources, technology, public relations, external affairs, retail and supply chain – to help serve the "beacons" and the 19 neighborhoods.

We also had an opportunity to stop by AT&T’s first ever retail store in Englewood, a Southside neighborhood of Chicago. It’s a community where new commercial investment hadn’t happened in years. That’s where I met Asia, Calvin, Kayla, Cordell and several other new employees who are among the 500 people the company has hired in the 19 Chicago communities. Many of them also took advantage of the AT&T Learn online portal, which provides things like writing resumes, learning basic entry-level skills and other job-prep courses.

Daiquon, a sales rep at the new store, and I got a chance to talk a little more than the others. He was raised in south Chicago and had gone on several job interviews before being hired on at AT&T. It happened because he attended a job fair at Harold Washington College, one of many hosted as part of our #BelieiveChicago initiative.

Let’s just say, I left Chicago so inspired by all the great being done by #ATTBelieve and the beacons of hope. Believe doesn’t just stop at Chicago, it is happening in cities across America. Hopefully, you can watch the film tonight and be inspired to? And be sure to come back and leave a comment after you’ve seen it. And be on the lookout for the next installment of Beacons of Hope.

“Beacons of Hope” at 8 p.m. ET/PT on DIRECTV Channel 239, On Demand 1239, DIRECTV NOW, U-Verse & WatchTV.