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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston's older residents had the chance to reconnect with friends and family all around the world with an international phone call free of charge on Friday morning.
The 25th annual AT&T Holiday Connections event took place at Boston City Hall allowing hundreds of Boston's older residents the chance to make a call anywhere in the world. The event also featured free smart device tutorials for seniors to help them stay connected over the holiday season.
A woman from Holland took the opportunity to make a phone call to her family back home.
"They were so surprised, I said I'm here at City Hall making a free phone call for thirty minutes," she told WBZ's Kendall Buhl. "It was great."
Dorchester resident Barbara used the opportunity to call her pen-pay who she had never spoken with on the phone, "It was really exciting to hear her voice, it was really nice."
Workshops in scam and fraud prevention, cyber-safety, and smart device training were offered to seniors at the event allowing them a chance to get one-on-one help with phones, tablets, and other devices.
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"We've had about 1,500 calls a year now, it's something that we're very proud of," said Bella Montero, AT&T consumer sales executive.
One man took the event as an opportunity to get a free lesson in smartphone literacy.
"We've been praying for a course on how to use a smartphone, you need that now just to exist in the U.S cause they do everything on it," Joe of Dorchester said.
City representatives were also at the event to discuss the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program with attendees.
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