Texas Nonprofits Received More Than $1.9 Million in 2009 From the Verizon Foundation to Support Education, Literacy and Domestic Violence Prevention Initiatives

IRVING, Texas, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 900 nonprofit groups in Texas received more than $1.9 million from the Verizon Foundation in 2009, enabling recipient organizations to improve literacy skills, enhance educational opportunities for children, and assist domestic violence survivors.

In addition, Verizon employees volunteered more than 47,800 hours to nonprofit groups throughout the Lone Star State in 2009.

"Verizon and its employees are proud to partner with nonprofit organizations throughout Texas to bring about positive change in the areas of education, domestic violence prevention and Internet safety," said Carl E. Erhart, president of Verizon's Central region.

Among the grants awarded by Verizon in 2009 were:

• Texas Computer Education Association, Austin – $68,000 to combine professional development opportunities for classroom teachers, pre-service teachers and college educators with outreach efforts that inform state educators about the free educational resources available from the Verizon Foundation's education Web site, Thinkfinity.org.
• North Texas Future Fund, Dallas/Fort Worth – $65,000 to increase literacy instruction by professional literacy instructors serving a cross-section of industries.  The program will eventually provide future volunteer opportunities for instruction-qualified employees from within the participating businesses.
• Literacy Instruction for Texas (LIFT), Dallas – $60,000 to underwrite the cost of program materials for LIFT, one of the largest and most successful adult literacy agencies in Texas.  It teaches more than 8,000 illiterate adults to read each year and relies strictly on volunteer teachers to help students complete their literacy programs.
• Southwestern University, Georgetown – $50,000 for a 10-week student internship program at local domestic violence prevention agencies.  The Southwestern University student-interns work full time at the agencies, receiving training and mentoring opportunities to develop a broader understanding of the complexity of domestic violence and to devote their time and talents to helping the agencies achieve their missions.
• North Texas Public Broadcasting Inc., Dallas – $49,920 to fund a literacy program that provides technology- and in-person-delivered instruction to caregivers and parents of preschool children.  The program fosters primary literacy skills and promotes lifelong learning in children, while also promoting the use of Internet-based resources like Thinkfinity.org.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational Web site, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence.  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 $26.1 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 91 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 approximately 222,900 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 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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