Verizon Foundation Awarded Nonprofits in Maryland and the Nation's Capital More Than $10.1 Million in 2011

BALTIMORE, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit groups in Maryland and the District of Columbia that focused on education programs, domestic violence prevention and using technology to deliver or enhance health care received more than $10.1 million in 2011 from the Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon.

Nationally, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $66 million to nonprofit organizations last year.  

"Verizon is proud to partner with key nonprofit organizations throughout the region to be a positive force for change in our communities," said Karen I. Campbell, Verizon's vice president of government affairs - Mid-Atlantic region.  "We have been an active corporate citizen in Maryland and the District of Columbia for more than a century, and we will continue to harness the innovative power of Verizon's networks, technology and people to enhance the communities where we work and live."

In addition to the grants, Verizon employees volunteered nearly 60,000 hours to nonprofit groups throughout Maryland and D.C. 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. 

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

Maryland

• Enoch Pratt Free Library, to support free outreach activities for its Summer Reading 2011 program, which encouraged participants to read at least one book a week during the eight-week session.  Every year, more than 16,000 children and teens register for the reading program, and more than 30,000 participate in the free activities.
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County, for its Violence Prevention Advocates Program, which educates and trains students, faculty and staff on specific relationship violence prevention information.
• Passion for Learning, for its innovative after-school Dig.Lit (digital literacy and technology skills) program for more than 100 at-risk students at five Montgomery County public schools in Silver Spring.  The program helps strengthen students' ability in, and passion for, writing and communicating in a digital world.
• University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, to establish the Verizon 21st Century Scholars program at the university and provide valuable technology-based training and internships to future educators.

D.C.

• Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, for outreach to help teenagers understand the importance of respectful, healthy dating relationships and the warning signs of abusive ones.
• Ayuda, for its Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program, which provides information on available protections and services for immigrant victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
• University of the District of Columbia, to support scholarships for needy students and the development of those students under the Verizon Scholars Program, which encourages high academic achievement, degree completion, post-baccalaureate education and peer mentoring. 
• My Sister's Place, to provide nearly 11,000 meals to domestic violence survivors in the Nation's Capital.

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