Cradlepoint and Verizon Frontline Create New Scholarship with Donation to First Responders Children’s Foundation

The donation establishes the Verizon Frontline and Cradlepoint FirstConnect public safety scholarship to award financial assistance to two individuals entering the public safety field


BOISE, Idaho and BEDMINSTER, N.J., March 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cradlepoint, the global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge solutions, in partnership with Verizon Frontline, the advanced network and technology for first responders, today announced they will donate $50,000 to the First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF) to help establish a Verizon Frontline and Cradlepoint public safety scholarship.

Co-funded by Cradlepoint’s FirstConnect Program™ and Verizon Frontline, the joint-scholarship was created to award financial assistance to anyone planning to enter the public safety field.

“As a result of the pandemic and its ongoing repercussions, first responders have gone through unprecedented challenges the last two years, but they’ve remained strong to keep their communities and families safe,” said Jillian Crane, president of First Responders Children’s Foundation. “Thanks to Cradlepoint and Verizon’s joint-scholarship, FRCF can continue our mission of looking after the welfare of first responder families — especially during a time when the community needs us the most.”

Based in New York, FRCF is an organization committed to ensuring that the children of first responders receive the necessary resources to help them thrive. It provides financial support to both children who have lost a parent in the line of duty, as well as families enduring significant financial hardships due to tragic circumstances. FRCF also supports, promotes, and facilitates educational activities and programs created and operated by law enforcement and firefighting organizations.

Cradlepoint’s FirstConnect program eases the challenges often faced by first responder organizations with deploying and supporting the company’s wireless edge solutions that take advantage of public safety broadband networks. These challenges include applying for grant monies to help fund purchases, the installation of in-vehicle routers, training of IT and operational staff, and around the clock priority access to knowledgeable support resources.

“Cradlepoint continues to be humbled by the sacrifices made by first responders and their families,” said Todd Krautkremer, chief marketing officer at Cradlepoint. “We created this joint scholarship program with Verizon Frontline to help first responder families and demonstrate our gratitude and support of the public safety community.”

“For more than 30 years, Verizon Frontline has provided the mission-critical communications first responders need to accomplish their missions,” said Maggie Hallbach, senior vice president of Verizon Public Sector. “The establishment of the Verizon Frontline and Cradlepoint FirstConnect public safety scholarship will help support those future first responders willing to commit themselves to a career in public service.”

For more information on Cradlepoint’s extensive work around the world in first responder and emergency preparedness efforts please visit https://cradlepoint.com/solutions/firstconnect/. As part of Verizon's commitment to support the men and women who serve our communities, Verizon offers mobile plan and product discounts to active and retired first responders. To learn more visit https://www.verizon.com/first-responders.

About Cradlepoint
Cradlepoint is a global leader in cloud-delivered 4G and 5G wireless network edge solutions. Cradlepoint’s NetCloud™ platform and cellular routers deliver a pervasive, secure, and software-defined Wireless WAN edge to connect people, places, and things — anywhere. More than 28,500 businesses and government agencies worldwide, including many Global 2000 organizations and top public sector agencies, rely on Cradlepoint to keep mission-critical sites, points of commerce, field forces, vehicles, and IoT devices always connected. Cradlepoint was founded in 2006, acquired by Ericsson in 2020, and operates today as a standalone subsidiary within Ericsson’s Business Area Technologies and New Businesses. Cradlepoint is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, with development centers in Silicon Valley and India with international offices in Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. www.cradlepoint.com.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology and communications services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $133.6 billion in 2021. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.

About First Responders Children’s Foundation
For 20 years, First Responders Children’s Foundation has been providing college scholarships to children with first responder parents who have been killed or injured in the line of duty. The Foundation also awards grants to families enduring significant financial hardship and supports, promotes, and facilitates educational activities and programs created and operated by first responder organizations to benefit children or the communities in which they live. The First Responders Children’s Foundation Emergency Response Fund has provided financial assistance, PPE, and hotel accommodations to first responders on the frontlines of the pandemic. The Foundation also pays for funerals of first responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice. More information about First Responders Children’s Foundation is available at www.1stRCF.org. Follow First Responders Children’s Foundation on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram @1stRCF.

Cradlepoint Contact
Marissa Kelly
Highwire PR
cradlepoint@highwirepr.com
631-559-4725

Verizon Frontline Contact
Eric Durie
eric.durie@verizon.com