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Pennsylvania Nonprofit Organizations Reap $280,000 in Literacy Grants From Verizon

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 November 2008, 09:00 CST

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A dollar a month may not seem like much, but it can go a long way to improving literacy skills in local communities while also giving people the opportunity to succeed.

Thanks to the generosity of Verizon customers who participated in the company's Check Into Literacy program, 31 nonprofit organizations throughout Pennsylvania have received $280,000 in grants to support their literacy programs.

The Check Into Literacy initiative allows Verizon landline phone customers to check a box on their monthly bills to make a $1-a-month, tax-deductible donation to support literacy.

"This is a classic case of a little bit going a long way to address a significant challenge for our society," said Gale Y. Given, president of Verizon Pennsylvania. "Verizon customers who participated in the program have shown how much they care about the people in our communities, and we applaud them for it."

Grants have been awarded to the following organizations: -- WHYY Inc., Philadelphia - $50,000 -- Abington Library Society Inc./Jenkintown Library, Jenkintown - $25,000 -- Children's Literacy Initiative, Philadelphia - $25,000 -- Beginning with Books Inc., Pittsburgh - $10,000 -- Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg - $10,000 -- Freedom Valley YMCA, West Norriton - $10,000 -- Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, Pittsburgh - $10,000 -- Indian Valley Boys & Girls Club, Souderton - $10,000 -- Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Inc., Pittsburgh - $10,000 -- ARIN Intermediate Unit #28, Indiana - $7,500 -- Delaware County Literacy Council, Chester - $7,500 -- Fayette County Community Action Agency Inc., Uniontown - $7,500 -- Greater Erie Community Action Committee, Erie - $7,500 -- Byron Story Foundation, Philadelphia - $5,000 -- Care Center Foundation, West Chester - $5,000 -- Center for Literacy, Philadelphia - $5,000 -- Crawford County Literacy Council Inc., Meadville - $5,000 -- Foundations, Inc./Kidzone, Philadelphia - $5,000 -- Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition/The Black Alliance for Educational Options, Philadelphia - $5,000 -- Jim Thorpe Area School District, Jim Thorpe - $5,000 -- Lehigh Carbon Community College, Schnecksville - $5,000 -- Lower Merion Library System/Ardmore Free Library, Ardmore - $5,000 -- Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading & Berks County, Reading - $5,000 -- Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, Johnstown - $5,000 -- Scranton Council for Literacy Advance (SCOLA), Scranton - $5,000 -- The Literacy Council of Lancaster Lebanon, LVA Inc., Lancaster - $5,000 -- Volunteer English Program, West Chester - $5,000 -- Washington County Literacy Council, Washington - $5,000 -- Wayne-Pike Adult Literacy Program, Honesdale - $5,000 -- YWCA of Westmoreland, Westmoreland - $5,000 -- York County Literacy Council (YCLC), York - $5,000 About the Verizon Foundation:

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 http://www.verizon.com/foundation.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. , 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 http://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 http://www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

Verizon

CONTACT: Sharon Shaffer, +1-215-963-6200, sharon.b.shaffer@verizon.com,or Lee Gierczynski, +1-412-633-5574, lee.j.gierczynski@verizon.com, both ofVerizon

Web Site: http://thinkfinity.org/http://www.verizon.com/foundation

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

Source: PRNewswire

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