Inland Northwest Nonprofits to Receive $93,000 In Grants From Verizon Foundation

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - Inland Northwest residents will benefit from $93,000 in grants made by Verizon Foundation to 12 nonprofit groups in Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint, Moscow, Pullman and other communities. Verizon Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications.

The one-year grants for local educational institutions and community-based nonprofit groups will fund work force development programs that promote economic growth and jobs and serve low-income, minority and disadvantaged Idahoans. Other grants will support technology projects for high school students and increase the technical capabilities of charitable agencies. For A list of grant recipients
click here.

Announcement of the grants was made today during the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce's monthly "Upbeat Breakfast" at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. John Gustafson, director of external affairs for Verizon Northwest, presented the awards, which ranged from $3,000 to $10,000 each.

"Idaho, like other states, faces challenging economic issues, and corporations like Verizon can play a critical role in helping this region prosper by supporting programs that improve the skills of the local work force," Gustafson said. "Verizon continues to be committed to helping the communities we serve become better educated and technologically fluent. Our goal is to help reduce unemployment and increase the use of technology within Verizon service territories."

Major grants awarded by Verizon were:
• Lake City High School, Coeur d'Alene -- $10,000 for technology in the school's "Going Digital" mobile lab, enabling English/Language Arts students to improve their computer skills while doing research, presentations and writing projects.

• Lake Pend Oreille School District, Sandpoint -- $10,000 for the district's "Mobile Wireless Lab Project," designed to provide at least 900 K-12 students with improved, regular access to computers for increased learning.

• Jobs Plus, Coeur d'Alene -- $10,000 to support the organization's efforts to recruit new businesses to Kootenai County and create family-wage jobs for Idahoans.

• Washington State University, Pullman -- $10,000 to assist the university's "Center for Bridging the Digital Divide." The money will help create a coordinated state response to emergency events and disasters.

• University of Idaho, Moscow -- $10,000 each for the "JEMS" summer workshop, to encourage young females and minorities to consider technical careers; and the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, to support talented student musicians.

These contributions are in addition to more than $42,000 in literacy grants Verizon awarded to North Idaho nonprofit organizations in May.

Overall this year in the Pacific Northwest, Verizon will donate more than $1 million in grants, contributions and sponsorships that focus primarily on literacy, technology, economic development and work force development programs.

Verizon Foundation is committed to helping people and communities make progress every day. The foundation supports a variety of programs that focus on improving basic and computer literacy, bridging the digital divide, enriching communities through technology and creating a skilled work force. The foundation promotes partnerships in technology with organizations serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, and the economically and socially disadvantaged. The foundation also supports Verizon Volunteers, an incentive program that encourages Verizon employees to volunteer in their communities and provides matching gifts to nonprofit organizations. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 135.0 million access line equivalents and 31.5 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and more than 236,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 35 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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Grant Recipients