Children's Books to Be Collected at Verizon Plus Stores in 10 States as Part of Annual 'Season's Readings' Campaign

NEW YORK (Map) - Since 2001, Verizon's Annual Campaign Has Provided More Than 2 Million Books to School and Nonprofit Organizations Throughout the Country

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Holiday shoppers will have the opportunity to give the gift of reading through the Verizon Foundation's annual Season's Readings campaign.

Throughout the holiday season, from Nov. 17 through Dec. 13, shoppers are invited to drop off new or gently used children's books at 52 local Verizon Plus stores across 10 states. The books will be distributed to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations in areas near the stores.

Season's Readings began in 2001 as a Verizon employees campaign to advance the cause of children's literacy. Since then, more than 2 million children's books have been donated to 3,500 organizations across the country.

Last year, the campaign was expanded beyond Verizon employees, and the public was invited to donate books at a few Verizon Plus stores. This year, the program has been expanded again to include every Verizon Plus store. The stories are located in: California, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.

In addition to collecting books at Verizon Plus locations, Verizon employees at more than 300 other company locations will participate in the annual giving campaign, with the goal of collecting at least 100,000 books.

"Whether by donating a book or donating their time, our active and retired employees make a significant difference each year for the children in the communities we serve," said Patrick Gaston, Verizon Foundation president. "We welcome everyone to become a part of our effort to get books into the hands of children to help them become lifelong learners."

For more information on the Season's Readings campaign, visit http://foundation.verizon.com/seasonsreadings. Those visiting the site will also have the opportunity to participate in the campaign by purchasing children's books through First Book, a nonprofit organization that provides new books to low-income families, and to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring and family literacy programs.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 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 nearly 71 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 employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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