Virginia Nonprofits Received More Than $4 Million in 2009 From the Verizon Foundation to Support Education, Literacy and Domestic Violence Prevention Initiatives

RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1,000 nonprofit groups in Virginia received more than $4 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 nearly 45,000 hours to nonprofit groups throughout the state in 2009.  The total figure includes matching grants from the foundation for these volunteer hours, as well as matching grants for individual employee donations.

"Verizon and its employees have a long-standing record of partnering with nonprofit organizations throughout Virginia to bring about positive change in the areas of education, domestic violence prevention and Internet safety," said Robert W. Woltz Jr., president of Verizon Virginia.

Virginia nonprofits that received Verizon Foundation grants in 2009 include:

• Science Museum of Virginia Foundation -- $12,000 to support Mindbender Mansion, an exhibit where visiting students encounter a variety of educational challenges, some utilizing the Verizon Thinkfinity educational Web site (www.thinkfinity.org).
• Halifax Regional Hospital -- $15,000 to support the creation of electronic medical records for the hospital's new Primary Care Office, which provides secure remote access to patient information.
• Rita Welsh Adult Literacy Program -- $10,500 to support customized reading, math and writing instruction to speakers of other languages.
• Youth For Tomorrow -- $15,000 to support efforts to help students who are struggling with reading and math.
• Doorways for Women and Families -- $18,500 to continue the implementation of the Verizon-sponsored Red Flag Campaign in Northern Virginia.  The campaign is designed to increase awareness among young adults on college campuses of the warning signs of dating violence, how to intervene as a bystander, and what local resources are available for help.  
• The Steward School -- $10,000 to support LEAP (Latino Education Advancement Program), a four-week college-preparatory curriculum in several subject areas designed to assist the growing Latino population.
• Chattering Children -- $25,000 to help provide education, speech-language pathology, audiology and literacy skills to children with hearing loss.
• Northern Virginia Urban League -- $10,000 to help provide after-school educational support in math science and technology to 12- to 18-year olds who have passed the age limit for traditional after-school programs.
• Enough Is Enough – $24,000 to support distribution of the organization's DVD program, Internet Safety 101: Empowering Parents, to thousands of parents across the state.

The Verizon Foundation 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 $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.

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SOURCE Verizon