Landline Customers’ Donations Through Verizon’s ‘Check Into Literacy’ Program Support Education Across the Keystone State
PR Newswire
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 9, 2011
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Thanks to the generosity of Verizon Pennsylvania landline customers who participated in the company’s Check Into Literacy program, 31 nonprofit organizations across Pennsylvania will share more than $160,000 in grants to support education programs, particularly those that use technology for teaching, learning and reaching more people.
“This program is a classic example of a little bit going a long way to address a significant challenge for our society,” said Douglas R. Smith, vice president of external affairs for Verizon Pennsylvania. “Verizon customers who participated in the program have shown how much they care about education and our communities, and we applaud them for it.”
The program allows Verizon landline phone customers to support education by checking a box on their monthly phone bills to make a $1 tax-deductible donation. Verizon then distributes these donations to local organizations that serve the individual states in which the customers live.
Contributions from Pennsylvania residents are part of more than $585,000 given this year to literacy organizations throughout the country through the Check Into Literacy program.
Grants have been awarded to the following Pennsylvania organizations:
After School Activities Partnership, Philadelphia – $10,000
Andrew Jackson School, Philadelphia – $3,000
Bayard Rustin High School, West Chester – $5,000
Beaver County Association for the Blind, Beaver Falls – $5,000
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Philadelphia – $5,000
Clarion County Literacy Council, Clarion – $5,000
Downingtown STEM Academy, Downingtown – $4,300
Erie Times News in Education, Erie – $5,000
Fayette County Community Action Agency, Uniontown – $1,500
Foundation for Reading Area Community College, Reading – $4,200
Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia – $25,000
Grands As Parents, Philadelphia – $2,081
Indiana Free Library, Inc., Indiana – $5,000
Literacy Council for Schuylkill County, Pottsville – $5,000
Mayor’s Commission on Literacy, Philadelphia – $5,000
Mid-State Literacy Council, State College – $5,000
North Wales Area Library, North Wales – $5,000
Panther Valley School District, Lansford – $5,000
Penn State University – Brandywine, Media – $5,000
Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education, Pittsburgh – $10,000
Philadelphia Academies, Inc., Philadelphia – $5,000
Philadelphia READS, Philadelphia – $5,000
Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Philadelphia – $5,000
Silver Springs-Martin Luther School, Plymouth Meeting – $3,500
St. Anthony’s Youth Center, Easton – $5,000
St. Christopher’s School, Philadelphia – $2,000
Temple University – Grandma’s Kids, Philadelphia – $2,500
The Literacy Center of the Lehigh Valley, Allentown – $4,300
Tickets for Kids, Pittsburgh – $2,000
United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, Scranton – $5,000
Washington County Literacy Council, Washington – $5,000
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, 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 more than 107 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 $106.6 billion in 2010 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000. 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
