Washington State Nonprofits Received More Than $365,000 in Verizon Foundation Grants in 2007

EVERETT, Wash. (Map) - EVERETT, Wash., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 40 nonprofit groups in Washington received more than $365,000 from the Verizon Foundation in 2007, enabling the recipient organizations to improve basic literacy skills, create new and diverse approaches to technology-based learning, and help domestic violence victims rebuild their lives.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications and one of the largest corporate foundations in the world, awarded a total of $67.4 million in grants last year.

"Verizon's philanthropy is directed to address critical social needs," said David S. Valdez, senior vice president for the Northwest region. "Our foundation is making strategic investments to improve the quality of life in our communities - where our customers and employees live and work.

"Projects that advance the fundamental skill of literacy, apply technology to augment organizational capabilities and protect the vulnerable tie directly into the Verizon Foundation's mission of making a difference," Valdez said.

In 2007, Verizon Foundation grants included $15,000 each to the Snohomish County Center for Battered Women's for upgrading its Web site and technology, and to the Eastside Domestic Violence Center to support the crisis hotline to address domestic violence issues; $20,000 to the Technology Access Foundation for its TechStart K-8 programs to assist students in developing math, reading and technology competencies in low-income Seattle neighborhoods; $15,000 to Edmonds Community College for its Community Volunteer Literacy Center training program: and $15,000 to the Rainier Scholars efforts to prepare students of color in the greater Seattle area to attend the most competitive middle- and high-school programs.

An additional 240 other organizations received nearly $300,000 through the foundation's Verizon Volunteers and matching gifts program, which rewards employees with matching gifts and grants to nonprofits and educational institutions that employees donate to and support. Last year, Verizon employees and retirees volunteered through the Telecom Pioneers for numerous community organizations, including the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, as well as providing more than 1,000 dictionaries through the Dictionary Project to third-graders in King, Snohomish and Skagit Counties.

The Verizon Foundation is committed to improving literacy and K-12 education; fostering awareness and prevention of domestic violence; and promoting the use of technology in health-care delivery. In 2007, the foundation awarded $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. Under the foundation's Verizon Volunteer initiative, one of the nation's largest employee-volunteer programs, company employees and retirees have also contributed nearly 3 million hours of community service since Verizon's inception in 2000.

For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 63.7 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of nearly 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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