Rhode Island Nonprofits Received More Than $438,000 in 2009 From the Verizon Foundation to Support Education, Literacy and Domes
January 28 2010 - 1:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 40 nonprofit
groups in Rhode Island received more than $438,000 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 3,800 hours to nonprofit groups
throughout the state in 2009. "Verizon and its employees are proud
to partner with thousands of nonprofit organizations throughout
Rhode Island to bring about positive change in the areas of
education, domestic violence prevention and Internet safety," said
Verizon Region President Donna Cupelo. Among the grants awarded by
Verizon in 2009 are: -- Dorcas Place -- $10,000 to enhance its
Family Literacy Program providing intensive
English-as-a-second-language education for limited English
proficient families statewide. -- i-Safe America -- $25,000 to
provide Internet safety workshops for students, parents, teachers
and law enforcement officials that help students to remain safe
online -- Think Ahead with Thinkfinity Awards was granted a total
of $55,000. The Rhode Island Network for Educational Technology and
the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
received $25,000. The two organizations are designated as the
Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity state education partner. In
addition, five public schools and districts were selected to
receive a total of $25,000 in grants ($5,000 per organization) to
use Thinkfinity.org to improve student achievement: Ashton School,
Cumberland; Frances Varieur Elementary School, Pawtucket;
Narragansett public schools; Ponaganset Middle School, Glocester;
and Warwick public schools. -- Providence College -- $30,000 to
help high school seniors that are academically qualified to attend
college but who may not be able to continue their education after
high school. They are provided the college-level experience,
additional academic skills training and exposure to the admissions
process. -- Women's Fund -- $22,000 to facilitate a Domestic
Violence Technology Solutions/Social Change Request for Proposals
for community organizations across Rhode Island to apply for
funding to address the deeply rooted issues that contribute to the
victimization of women through domestic violence. -- Women and
Infants Hospital -- a $15,000 Health Care and Accessibility Grant
to institute a wireless bar code drug administration program. The
goal of the program is to improve patient safety through new
technology that verifies medication administration. 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 $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
http://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 http://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 http://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. DATASOURCE: Verizon
CONTACT: Michele Cinquegrano, +1-401-525-2134, Web Site:
http://www.verizon.com/ Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html
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