Latino Students Across the Country to Receive More Than $400,000 in Verizon Scholarships

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon has awarded $407,500 in scholarships to Hispanic students for the 2010-2011 school year.

The scholarship program is one of many programs Verizon and its philanthropic arm, the Verizon Foundation, have in place to support the Hispanic community.  The scholarships were announced in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Sept. 15.

"Verizon has a long-standing history of investing in aspiring Latino youth," said Magda Yrizarry, Verizon's chief diversity officer and vice president of talent management. "This is an investment that will return dividends to our society many times over, and we're proud to partner with so many great organizations to make the dreams of these students and their families come true."

In total, 110 Hispanic students will receive Verizon scholarships through partnerships with nonprofit organizations. Among the organizations that have received grants from Verizon to fund scholarships are:

• Hispanic College Fund – $155,000 for 30 scholarships.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund - $155,000 for 28 scholarships.

In all, the Verizon Foundation has awarded more than $38.4 million in grants since 2007 to nonprofit organizations that benefit and serve the Hispanic community.  

In addition to assistance through the Verizon Foundation, Verizon provides educational opportunities to Latino students through other initiatives, such as:

• Industrial Affiliate Program -- Through this program, Verizon leaders work collaboratively with engineering students from the University of Puerto Rico to address real-world business issues, enabling the students to gain valuable business experience. Several students who participate in this program subsequently intern at Verizon.
• HESTEC at the University of Texas Pan American -- Verizon is a longtime participant in Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology Week at the university. This year Verizon will again participate in several activities including Latina Day, which is designed to encourage women to continue their studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

"Interning at Verizon gave me a tremendous opportunity to solidify my career plans," said Karen Alvarado, a Babson College student who interned with the company, in the investment management area. "I was able to capitalize on my current skills as well as develop others."  

Also in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Verizon is offering FiOS TV subscribers one month of free access to some of the company's Spanish-language programming.  Customers can watch 18 different Spanish-language channels until Oct. 15.  

For more information on Verizon in Spanish, visit www.verizon.com/esmejorconfios or www.verizon.com/espanol.

The Verizon Foundation supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational website, Verizon Thinkfinity (www.thinkfinity.org), and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence.  In 2009, the Verizon Foundation awarded $67.9 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 $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, 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 more than 92 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 last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon