4 minute read
Inside Northside March-April 2025
GenerousHearts
Bringing Connection Beyond Your Home
Celebrating 90 years of service, REV is connecting communities well beyond high-speed internet. The company’s journey began with the merger of three telecommunications companies—Reserve Telephone Company (RTC), EATEL and Vision Communications. Although different in many ways, they shared a common goal: serving rural areas that other providers did not reach. In a world where internet access is vital, REV has answered the call, ensuring that even the most remote areas enjoy reliable connectivity.
As REV expands its reach, including a growing presence on the Northshore, it continues to focus on giving back. Joining the Northshore Community Foundation (NCF) has aligned perfectly with its mission to support the community. “The Foundation’s mission is a holistic approach to bettering the Northshore parishes, and they are focusing on the areas we’re focusing on as well,” said Jeremy Theriot, REV’s director of community relations and business development. “People don’t always understand how critical the internet is to a community, and NCF helps us with that mission.”
One initiative that stood out to REV was NCF’s National Philanthropy Day celebration, which honored individuals who donate their time to the organization and other local efforts. For REV, it was a reminder of the ripple effect of community support. “They were recognizing volunteers. It wasn’t about who had the biggest checkbook in the room—it was about who gave their time and honoring the effort to better the community,” Theriot explained.
REV directs its charitable efforts toward youth, education, environmental sustainability and access to health care. Its choices come not from one specific sector but from input gathered from the entire team, ensuring that projects reflect shared values. This approach often inspires employees to suggest sponsorship ideas for nonprofits, leading to grassroots initiatives that align with REV’s mission.
For 40 years, REV has supported a scholarship program for graduating high school seniors, crossing the milestone of awarding $1 million in scholarships this year. The process for selecting recipients is both thoughtful and deliberate. “It’s a process because we know that the ACT is not the only measure of the quality of a student,” Theriot added. After vetting applicants based on financial need, academic achievement and community contribution, the selection process also includes interviews. “This is step one of helping these kids enter the real world,” he stated.
REV’s success extends beyond community service. In the past year, the company added 2,700 new customers, now covering 5,000 miles of fiber, employing a team of nearly 400 and serving 65,000 customers across 12 parishes.
For more information about REV, visit www.letsrev.com or call 866-881-4738.
Highlighting Philanthropy on the Northshore
Our parters at the Northshore Community Foundation exist to make it easy for each of us to make a difference in our own backyard. Now in their 18th year, the Foundation has touched over $83 million dollars in philanthropic fuel, focusing on simplifying, organizing and magnifying philanthropy at every turn.
The Foundation has reached those remarkable numbers in three primary ways. First, they engage hundreds of individuals, families, companies and nonprofits in a membership model that promotes active connections and charitable work. Second, they take the paperwork out of “doing good” by administering funds that act as charitable checkbooks for any purpose. Last, they step into big roles when the need is great — especially in times of disaster. Through these three unique and critical roles, the Foundation uses its expertise and resources to magnify the incredible charitable work so prevalent in our region.
Everyone is a philanthropist. To Learn how you can do more in your own backyard, reach out to the Foundation at www.northshorefoundation.org
