Verizon Foundation Awarded More Than $699,000 in Community Grants in 2011 to Support Nonprofit Organizations in Delaware

WILMINGTON, Del., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit groups in Delaware received more than $699,000 from the Verizon Foundation in 2011. The majority of the funds went to organizations that focused on advancing health care, domestic violence prevention, education and sustainability.

In addition, Verizon employees volunteered nearly 3,500 hours to nonprofit groups throughout the state in 2011.  The Verizon Foundation supports employee volunteerism by awarding a $750 grant to a nonprofit organization when a Verizon employee volunteers 50 hours or more to the organization during the year. 

"Verizon is driven by its employees to use the innovative power of our technology – and our philanthropic dollars -- to address critical social issues," said Bonnie Metz, vice president of state affairs for Verizon Delaware. "We are proud to partner with key nonprofit organizations throughout Delaware to be a positive force for change in communities in greatest need."

Programs and organizations supported by the Verizon Foundation in 2011 include:

• The University of Delaware for the first-of-its-kind domestic violence prevention and services certificate curriculum at the university's Department of Women's Studies.  This was the second year of a three-year commitment to the program, which trains students to become certified as advocates for domestic violence survivors.
• Christiana Care Health System Automated Synchronized Wilmington Admissions Team to enable it to use iPad technology to increase efficiencies and decrease patient medical-record errors.
• Delaware Center for Education Technology Cyber Security Awareness Campaign for its Internet safety presentations to Delaware elementary schools.
• Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence for the organization's annual Purple Ribbon public awareness event and mental health and trauma project.

"Thanks to the generous support of the Verizon Foundation, the Women's Studies Department at the University of Delaware has launched the first undergraduate program in Domestic Violence Prevention and Services," said Dr. Jennifer Naccarelli, academic coordinator at the university.  "Verizon funding has enabled us to merge a targeted curriculum with service in the field.  Our concentration students each provide upward of 300 hours of direct services to survivors of abuse.  This program not only works toward the empowerment of domestic violence survivors but also educates a new generation of advocates committed to disrupting both the structural and the interpersonal cycles of violence."

Elayne Starkey, chief security officer with the Delaware Department of Technology and Information, said: "The 2011 Verizon Foundation grant allowed us to increase our reach into Delaware elementary schools with our Internet safety presentations.  In addition, we were able to bring back the Cyber Security Bus, a Delaware Transit bus wrapped with a cyber security message, reaching thousands of motorists each day.  I am grateful to the foundation for giving us the opportunity to build upon our base cybersecurity awareness program."

The Verizon Foundation helps people to live healthy, safe and independent lives by addressing disparities in education, health care and sustainability. Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live.  Verizon's employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.2 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities. For more information, 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 consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 109 million total connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 194,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.  

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SOURCE Verizon