National Children's Alliance to Receive $100,000 Donation From Verizon Foundation

Donation to support children and families affected by family violence

WASHINGTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Announced today at the 2010 National Children's Alliance Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., the Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, has generously donated $100,000 in Target gift cards to National Children's Alliance (NCA). As the national association and accrediting body for Children's Advocacy Centers (CAC) around the country, NCA will distribute the $100 gift cards among its over 500 accredited members. Recipient CACs will in turn use the cards to purchase essential items that will be distributed to child abuse victims and their families during times of crisis.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091028/NCALOGO )

CACs are proven effective models for child abuse intervention that bring together trained professionals to investigate and provide medical and mental healthcare and support to child victims of abuse, while holding offenders accountable through the court system. The multi-disciplinary approach to responding to instances of child abuse that is employed by CACs is modeled on the simple but powerful concept of coordination between community agencies and professionals involved in the child abuse intervention system. Serving as a "safe place" for child victims of abuse, the support offered by CACs during times of crisis can be critical to preserving the physical and mental health of the abused child.

"We are grateful for this contribution from the Verizon Foundation and are confident that each gift card will make a positive impact on the children and families served by our members. Victims of abuse undergo traumatic experiences and Children's Advocacy Centers are designed to lessen the trauma of the investigation process. These gift cards will add to the amount of support our members are able to provide during these difficult times," remarked Teresa Huizar, Executive Director of National Children's Alliance.

"Children's Advocacy Centers around the country provide a tremendous service to children and families in times of need," said Henry Shiembob, Verizon's executive director of cyber security. "Verizon is proud to partner with National Children Alliance and its members to support efforts that assist and comfort victims of child abuse."

For more information about National Children's Alliance and the services offered by local Children's Advocacy Centers, please visit www.nationalchildrensalliance.org.

National Children's Alliance (NCA) is a national association dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient and put the needs of child victims of abuse first. As the accrediting body for the over 700 Children's Advocacy Centers around the country, NCA provides training, financial support, technical assistance, leadership, national advocacy and access to current research findings on a national level to Children's Advocacy Centers around the country, as well as numerous developing centers, multidisciplinary teams and child abuse professionals. As the national authority on multidisciplinary approaches to supporting child victims of abuse, NCA's purpose is to empower local communities to provide comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse. www.nationalchildrensalliance.org

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, 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.

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Teresa Huizar

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SOURCE National Children's Alliance