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Three Charleston Area Literacy Programs Receive $115,000 in Grants From Verizon Foundation

Posted on: Thursday, 14 December 2006, 15:00 CST

CHARLESTON, W.Va., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Verizon Foundation today announced grants of $115,000 to three Charleston organizations for literacy initiatives designed to help children and parents learn to read. The largest grant -- a $75,000, three-year commitment with West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension -- will fund a model reading program at six Charleston public housing sites for children in grades K-6.

Verizon also will award a grant of $20,000 to a technology-centered literacy program at the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs on the West Side and in St. Albans, and a $10,000 grant to a family-centered literacy program at the East End Family Resource Center's Roosevelt Site.

"Literacy and learning are connected and absolutely required for all West Virginians to succeed, especially as technology helps advance our society," said Verizon West Virginia President H. Stan Cavendish. "These grants are not simply about teaching nonreaders to read. They are about helping people develop the skills they need for jobs in the 21st century."

The WVSU Bee a Reader, Bee a Leader Literacy Program is designed to increase literacy awareness and comprehension skills by at least one grade level for kindergarten through sixth-grade pupils. Monthly themes and activities related to a particular book engage students in reading. The model program also is designed to be shared with other colleges and universities, or literacy programs. A conference is slated for next spring to introduce the program. Students from WVSU and the University of Charleston will serve as mentors to middle and elementary school children who reside in low-income communities.

"Reading will be encouraged and practiced, not just taught," said Dr. Hazo W. Carter Jr., president of WVSU. "Our focus will be on encouraging children to read and helping them to succeed in school and other facets of their lives."

WVSU is one of several partners in the East End Association's 2007 family literacy program, Reading for LIFE, a model espoused by The National Center for Family Literacy, which has expanded to more than 2,500 schools and programs nationwide. Both programs will help parents read to succeed.

"Our project will address Family Literacy through community and family education and support," said Derrick Gibson, executive director of the East End Family Resource Center. "We will increase the community's awareness of the importance of reading and the impact that it will have on our children's future."

East End will involve families in special activities, special speakers and entertainment with additional support from Charleston Parks and Recreation (the Roosevelt Center), Kanawha County Schools (Piedmont, Horace Mann, Stonewall, and Capitol High), Kanawha County Library, RESA III (Adult Basic Ed), United Way of Central WV and Kanawha Regional Transit.

The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs of Charleston will incorporate technology created by the Morgantown-based Edventure Group in its after-school literacy-focused programs and plans to use its program as a model for other Boys and Girls Clubs across West Virginia.

The program, which also is receiving $25,000 from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and the Emmy Lou Tompkins Foundation, will serve children in grades K-3 attending JE Robins Elementary, Glenwood Elementary, Watts Elementary, Piedmont Elementary, Alban Elementary, Anne Bailey Elementary, Central Elementary and George C. Weimer Elementary.

"Literacy is a critical social issue for economically disadvantaged children," said Capt. Lewis Reckline of the Salvation Army. "More than 90 percent of the 320 youths in our program fit that description."

During the past year, Verizon has made $150,000 in contributions to literacy programs statewide, including programs in Clay County, Oak Hill, Wheeling, Huntington, Fairmont and Elkins.

Verizon delivers technology that touches life. The Verizon Foundation uses that technology and its financial resources to improve literacy and K-12 education; help families victimized by domestic violence; and improve the delivery of health care. In 2005, the foundation awarded more than $74 million in grants to charitable and nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also supports Verizon Volunteers, which is one of the largest employee volunteer programs in the United States and responsible for 2 million hours of community service since 2000 and $35.6 million in combined contributions to nonprofits in 2005 alone.

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

Verizon Communications Inc. , a New York-based Dow 30 company, 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 57 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which operates one of the most expansive wholly-owned global IP networks, and Verizon Telecom, which is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers. 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: Harry Mitchell, +1-304-344-7562, harry.j.mitchell@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/

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

Source: PRNewswire

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