Verizon Spotlights 'Today's Readers, Tomorrow's Leaders' in Ceremony at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore

BALTIMORE, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit organizations in Baltimore are enabling area residents to take advantage of new opportunities that can improve their quality of life.

In a ceremony Wednesday (June 27) entitled, Today's Readers, Tomorrow's Leaders, several of these local nonprofits and residents will share how $211,000 in grants from Verizon will help create portable classrooms to bring the joy of reading to the community; support adult basic and English literacy programs; help students reduce summer learning loss; teach computer literacy skills; and provide tutoring services to children with dyslexia. 

This is an initiative, funded through the Verizon Foundation, that supports nonprofit organizations devoted to technology, literacy and educational programs for children, adolescents and adults.

"Students with significant communications disabilities present a unique challenge when it comes to the teaching of basic literacy skills," said Jill Berie, education director of The Hearing and Speech Agency's Gateway School.  "Thanks to funding we received from Verizon, Gateway's special education teachers will be better equipped with the resources needed to reinforce underlying language fundamentals – and teach critical early reading skills to our students with communication challenges."

Project Safe Haven, a community-based program serving at-risk youth in northeast Baltimore, also received a Verizon grant.

"We are grateful for this funding from Verizon, which will enable us to strengthen the reading skills of Baltimore's youth and help them succeed academically," said Darnesha Foulkes, director of Project Safe Haven.  "Our program impacts the lives of students in meaningful ways to keep them away from the distractions, focused on strengthening their literacy capabilities and scholastic performance, and safe during those times of the day when students may be exposed to challenging situations.  Verizon really has proven itself to be a great corporate partner for the Baltimore community."

Melvin Freeman, a fifth-grader, said, "Project Safe Haven has helped me become a successful student at Gardenville Elementary School. Thanks, Verizon, for helping us."

Anthony A. Lewis, Verizon's Mid-Atlantic region vice president of state government affairs, said, "Verizon continues to support programs designed to develop and transform the lives of current and future generations.  Our goal at Verizon is to lay a strong foundation for educational achievement and create opportunities for members of our community to grow, prosper and excel."

Verizon awarded grants in the Baltimore area to: Baltimore County Public Library, Baltimore Reads, Bluford Drew Jemison S.T.E.M. Academy, Dyslexia Tutoring Program, Education Based Latino Organization, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Greater Baltimore Urban League, HARBEL Community Organization, Hearing and Speech Agency of Metropolitan Baltimore, Maryland Humanities Council Project Safe Haven and South Baltimore Learning Center.

The funding is part of nearly $693,000 in Verizon grants supporting educational initiatives in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

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.  To get the latest news, follow the Verizon Foundation (@VerizonGiving) on Twitter (www.twitter.com/VerizonGiving).  

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 93 million retail customers 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 192,000.  For more information, visit 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 www.verizon.com/news.  To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Verizon