SYRACUSE, N.Y., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon reaffirmed its commitment to the communities it serves throughout New York state by providing grants in 2006 for a broad range of literacy, technology and domestic violence prevention programs.
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, last year donated approximately $7.8 million to 624 nonprofit groups in the state. In central New York alone, 48 nonprofit groups received nearly $643,000.
Nationwide, the foundation donated nearly $69 million to worthy causes and charities. The foundation also matched charitable donations from Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $29 million in combined contributions.
"Verizon is committed to investing in our communities through partnerships with organizations that promote literacy, technology education and domestic violence prevention," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. "Verizon's grants underscore our long-standing goal of supporting the communities we serve, as well as our commitment to providing excellent service to our customers."
Recipients of key grants in central New York included:
* Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County - $20,000 to support
in-home literacy programs for 30 families in the Watertown, N.Y., area.
* Leadership Greater Syracuse - $15,000 to support the organization,
which recruits and trains future government, business and educational
leaders in Onondaga County, with Web-site redesign and interactivity.
* Syracuse University/Syracuse City School District - $100,000 to support
an initiative between the university and the Syracuse City School
District to enhance the quality of education in schools through
programs targeting at-risk students.
In addition, Verizon gave $19,000 to the Liverpool Public Library to support a Web-based digital literacy project for parents and caregivers of pre-school children, which includes the development of an interactive parent Web site, a literacy blog, a musical podcast and an electronic reading club. The entire platform is based on Verizon's all-digital, fiber-optic network.
Verizon also awarded a $5,000 grant to Punto de Contacto, for which James Earl Jones served as a keynote host for the organization's multicultural event last year.
In addition to the Verizon Foundation grants, 2,117 nonprofits in New York state received more than $5 million through Verizon Volunteers, a program that encourages Verizon employees to volunteer in their communities and provides matching gifts to the nonprofit organization that employees support.
The Verizon Foundation is committed to improving literacy and K-12 education; fostering awareness and prevention of domestic violence; and promoting the use of technology in health-care delivery. In 2006, the foundation awarded more than $69 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched charitable donations from Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $29 million in combined contributions. Under the foundation's Verizon Volunteer initiative, one of the nation's largest employee-volunteer programs, company employees and retirees have also contributed nearly 3 million hours of community service since Verizon's inception in 2000.
For more information on the foundation, visit http://www.verizon.com/foundation.
Verizon Communications Inc. , headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 59 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which operates one of the most expansive wholly owned global IP networks, and Verizon Telecom, which is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 242,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/.
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