Verizon Employees in Pennsylvania Donate $16,000 Worth of Items to Assist Area Schools

    Items Collected by Employees at Companywide 'Tools for School' Campaign



    PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 21 /EMWNews/ -- Verizon employees from 40 work

sites across Pennsylvania collected more than $16,000 worth of items to

donate to local schools and nonprofit organizations from Allentown to

Uniontown during a recent Tools for School drive.



    These Pennsylvania workers were among Verizon employees at 372 company

locations throughout the country that took part in the two-week campaign to

collect new pens and pencils, rulers, crayons, backpacks and other items

children need to start the school year. In all, employees donated an

estimated $300,000 worth of supplies to more than 300 schools and

nonprofits across the U.S.



    According to a study by Quality Education Data and the Heller Reports,

K-12 teachers spend an average of $475 of their own money each year to buy

classroom materials and supplies.



    "Supporting education and literacy has long been a primary social cause

for Verizon," said William B. Petersen, president of Verizon Pennsylvania.

"Whether it's by providing interactive educational tools on Verizon's

Thinkfinity.org Web site, or pencils and crayons for the classroom, Verizon

will continue to support efforts to give parents, students and teachers the

tools needed to help all children succeed."



    Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's comprehensive program and

online portal to 55,000 standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans

and other educational resources provided in partnership with many of the

nation's leading educational and literacy organizations.



    The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon

Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education

through 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

http://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 69 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 228,600 and last year generated consolidated operating

revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com.



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