Verizon Foundation Provided More Than $350,000 in Community Grants in 2010 to Support Nonprofit Organizations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont

PORTLAND, Maine, Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit groups in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont received more than $350,000 from the Verizon Foundation in 2010. The majority of the funds went to organizations that support education, literacy, domestic violence prevention, health care technology and Internet safety.  

In addition, Verizon employees volunteered more than 5,000 hours to nonprofit groups throughout the three states in 2010.

"Verizon is driven by its employees to use the innovative power of our technology – and our philanthropic dollars – to address critical social issues," said Donna C. Cupelo, region president of Verizon New England. "We are proud to partner with key nonprofit organizations throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to be a positive force for change in communities in greatest need."

Programs and organizations supported by the Verizon Foundation in 2010 include:

• Domestic Violence Solutions Awards – The Verizon Foundation and Verizon Hopeline awarded more than $100,000 in grants to 15 agencies that provide services to survivors of domestic violence across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.  The agencies are: Astos, Newburgh, Maine; Child Abuse Prevention Council of York County, Kennebunk, Maine; Community Care, Bangor, Maine; Family Violence Project, Augusta, Maine; Maine Coalition To End Domestic Violence, Augusta, Maine; Bridges: Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services, Nashua, N.H.; Coos County Family Health Services, Berlin, N.H.; Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention, Keene, N.H.; New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Concord, N.H., Seacoast Task Force Against Family Violence, Portsmouth, N.H.; Turning Points Network, Claremont, N.H.; Women Information Services Inc. (WISE), Lebanon, N.H.; Battered Women's Service, Barre, Vt.; Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Montpelier, Vt.; Women Helping Battered Women, Burlington, Vt.; and WomenSafe, Middlebury, Vt.
• Education Enrichment Grants – The Verizon Foundation provided more than $35,000 to support literacy and education programs that help improve student achievement.  Schools and nonprofits include: Breakthrough Manchester at The Derryfield School, Manchester, N.H.; Dover (N.H.) Daycare Learning Center; Exeter (N.H.) School District; Manchester (N.H.) School District; and Seabrook (N.H.) School District.
• Health Care Technology Solutions – The Verizon Foundation donated more than $30,000 to agencies that use technology to help provide better health care services to patients.  The nonprofits include: Androscoggin Home Health Services, Lewiston, Maine; Crotched Mountain Foundation, Greenfield, N.H.; Coos County Health Services, Berlin, N.H.; and Turning Point Springfield Recovery Center, Springfield, Vt.
• Internet Safety Programs – The Concord (N.H.) Boys and Girls Club was awarded $5,000 for a program that will ensure children are using technology safely.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad.  Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000.  For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: 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 94.1 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 194,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 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