Recently, a series of devastating hurricanes have struck havoc upon Puerto Rico, Houston, Florida, and other parts of the United States. T-Mobile has joined numerous other businesses and foundations that are working to provide disaster relief for these many areas. Notably, the mobile carrier is starting a campaign to donate to disaster relief.

Partnering with Team Rubicon, a nonprofit organization that utilizes skilled veterans in order to provide effective disaster relief, T-Mobile has pledged to donate money in order to restore the damaged areas. To start off, they decided to donate at least a million dollars for Rubicon to further their cause. Additionally, they promised to donate $10,000 for every MLB Postseason home run, as well as $1 for every tweet with the hashtag #HR4HR.

On October 24, the night of the first World Series game, T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere decided to raise the stakes. He decided that his company would donate $20,000 for every home run, as well as $2 for every tweet with the hashtag #HR4HR. He explained the reason behind his actions, saying that the event was not only to “help our friends in Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida,” but also to “raise awareness for those hit hardest this hurricane season” (Business Wire).

The World Series proved to be filled with home runs, each of which brought thousands of dollars towards T-Mobile and Rubicon’s cause. The hashtag #HR4HR also trended on Twitter for a number of days as people across the nation pitched in for the worthwhile event. By the end of the event, T-Mobile announced that they had “104 home runs. Over 650K tweets. Over $2.5M raised.”

Meanwhile, T-Mobile has also been active for disaster relief in other ways. Their employees are providing donations and fundraisers, going out to the hurricane struck areas to personally volunteer, and doing everything they can to help the victims. The company itself also helped Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, stepping in to “mobilize cargo planes and barges to deliver desperately-needed supplies, personnel, and thousands of gallons of fuel to the island” (Business Wire).

Currently, T-Mobile is also encouraging their customers to pitch in to assist the millions of people affected by the recent hurricanes. Working with the American Red Cross, customers can text MARIA, IRMA, or HARVEY to 90999 in order to donate $10 for hurricane relief. The donation will be added to the next phone bill, and it will help tremendously.

Sarah Chen (10) pointed out that all of these actions are surprising because

“it’s something they’re doing not because they have to, but because they want to make a difference.”

Overall, T-Mobile has truly shown how a large, successful company can use its power in order to create a lasting, positive effect. They are donating millions of dollars, raising awareness, and calling others to help as well. Through #HR4HR and other highly beneficial methods, they are bringing change and allowing the millions of hurricane survivors to find hope in the support they receive.