Telecom Entrepreneur Kunal Hinduja Named to Corporate Board of Big Brothers, Big Sisters OC

    IRVINE, CA, December 21, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Kunal Hinduja, the founder and CEO of wireless leader ARQ, has been selected as member of the newly formed Corporate Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County. Along with David Deweese, director of facilities, real estate and environment of Cox Communications, and Michael Denzinger, vice president and regional wealth planner of U.S. Bank, Hinduja is one of the first three members of the Corporate Board.

As Corporate Board members, these individuals are actively involved in the overall mission of the nonprofit to provide valuable mentoring programs for young people in the community. Each will serve a two-year term and support a host of functions, including the sponsorship of a signature fundraising event, attendance at key update meetings and the review of quarterly governing board minutes.

"I am incredibly happy to be joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County as this organization has such a strong reputation of working to improve the lives of local children," said Hinduja, a first-generation Indian-American who grew up in a working-class family and built a global telecommunications company with revenues of more than $40 million. "Kids that are fortunate to have a big brother or big sister have the potential to grow to be our community's future engineers and business leaders."

ARQ designs, installs and maintains indoor and outdoor wireless solutions for high-occupancy venues ranging from major international sports stadiums and high-rises to university and hospital campuses. Under Hinduja's leadership, the company has stood out as a leader in the growing telecommunications industry while remaining dedicated to helping others and serving the community.

"We are thrilled to welcome Kunal to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County's Corporate Board, as he brings a fresh and dynamic perspective from the emerging technology field," said Sloane Richardson, director of development of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County. "He is a passionate youth services philanthropist and is dedicated to serving his community here in Orange County. We look forward to his impact on our life-changing mentorship programs for years to come."

The Tustin-based nonprofit, which calls its mentors "Bigs" and the children it helps "Littles," has generated inspiring results across its Orange County Chapter, including:

Littles

• 75 percent come from a single-parent household
• 55 percent have been exposed to physical, emotional or sexual abuse
• 75 percent of their families earn less than $30,000 per year
• 60 percent of their parents did not start high school
• 31 percent have a parent who have been incarcerated
• 12 percent have parents who are currently incarcerated

Impact

• 98 percent graduated high school
• 83 percent enrolled in college
• 70 percent of Little's were first in their family to graduate from high school
• 100 percent said their Big was the biggest influence in their decision to go to college
• Littles are 70 percent less likely to use drugs
• Littles are 52 percent less likely to skip school
• Littles are 33 percent less likely to become physically violent
• 100 percent of Littles in the program's Gang Prevention Program say their Big has kept them from joining a gang, acting violently or using drugs
• 89 percent of Littles report an increase in self confidence
• 77 percent say they make better decisions
• 80 percent note an increase in academic performance
• 83 percent report a better attitude toward school and respect of teachers
• 77 percent say they have avoided substance abuse because of their Big

About ARQ
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., ARQ LLC is a global radio frequency engineering and construction services company focused on delivering professional solutions to address mobile wireless challenges facing service providers, neutral host providers and enterprise customers. ARQ has been named among the Best Places to Work in Orange County for 2014, and its founder and CEO, Kunal Hinduja, was named a semifinalist for the local EY Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2013 and 2014. ARQ is a certified minority owned business enterprise.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County
Big Brothers Big Sisters Orange County is the local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters, a Philadelphia-based national nonprofit organization with nearly 400 agencies across the country that serve more than 255,000 children. It is a donor-supported volunteer organization that changes lives. It depends on donations to ensure child safety and provide support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain strong relationships. For more information, visit http://www.BigBroOC.org or call (714) 544-7773.

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