Indiana Nonprofits Received More Than $659,000 in 2009 From the Verizon Foundation to Support Education, Literacy and Domestic Violence Prevention Initiatives

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit groups in Indiana received more than $659,000 from the Verizon Foundation in 2009, enabling more than 500 recipient organizations to improve literacy skills, enhance educational opportunities for children, and help domestic violence survivors rebuild their lives.

In addition, Verizon employees volunteered more than 10,600 hours to nonprofit groups throughout the state in 2009.

"Verizon has a long-standing tradition of working to improve the communities where we operate by supporting organizations that strive to make a difference in the lives of individuals," said Carl Erhart, president of Verizon's Central region. "Through grants and the generous contributions of time and talent from our employees, we are having a positive impact on our communities."

Among the grants awarded by Verizon in 2009 are:

• Indiana Dept. of Education - $53,000 to raise awareness and train teachers throughout the state on the use of VerizonThinkfinity (www.thinkfinity.org), Verizon's free educational Web site that includes tens of thousands of free educational resources and K-12 lesson plans.
• NPower Indiana - $24,000 to provide online managed services to nonprofit agencies in the state.
• James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Association - $23,000 to support online education resources for the Riley Children's Hospital School Program.
• Net Literacy/Senior Connects - $20,000 to expand computer literacy and Internet access in the Connersville and Richmond areas.
• Michiana Broadcasting Corp. - $20,000 to support Ready to Learn teacher training.
• College Mentors for Kids Inc. - $15,000 to expand the curriculum for the nonprofit's mentoring program at the fifth-grade level.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne - $15,000 to support technology access and training for youth.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Porter County Inc. - $10,000 to support project Link & Learn access.
• City of Fort Wayne - $10,000 in cooperation with Net Literacy to provide computers and computer training to youth and communities.

In 2009, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $67.5 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $24.4 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 5 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 89 million customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 230,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $97 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Verizon

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