Verizon Awards $95,000 in Workforce Development Grants To Eight Indiana Nonprofits

INDIANAPOLIS - Eight Indiana nonprofit organizations have been awarded grants totaling $95,410 from Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, to help train workers for new and better jobs.

"Economic vitality in Indiana depends on a skilled workforce," said Lori Macklin, vice-president, regulatory and government affairs for Verizon Indiana. "These grants will help workers receive the necessary training to remain competitive in today's challenging labor market.

"Cultivating a skilled workforce helps attract jobs and businesses," said Macklin. "Verizon is committed to assisting the communities we serve in these efforts."

In April, nonprofit and educational organizations in the Great Lakes Region states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin were invited to compete for Verizon grants by submitting proposals outlining workforce development programs. Eight Indiana proposals were selected for funding:

Verizon workforce grant awardees in the Hoosier state are:

• Su Casa (Columbus) - $12,085 to expand English as a Second Language classes to weekends for the community.

• Junior Achievement of Elkhart County (Elkhart) - $2,500 to provide "Enterprise in Action" programs for five classes of seventh grade students.

• One Church-One Offender (Fort Wayne) - $7,500 for the Preparing Offenders with Employment Resources (P.O.W.E.R.) program, providing non-violent offenders and prison parolees with proper resume-building techniques, employment search and job interviewing skills.

• Fort Wayne Urban League (Fort Wayne) - $21,100 to provide computer skills training to 30 high school dropouts, aged 15-19, who are under the supervision of Allen Superior Court Family Relations Division (juvenile probation).

• Lafayette Adult Resource Academy (Lafayette) - $12,125 to purchase a site license for KeyTrain, a computer-based workforce training program that provides instruction in reading, applied math, applied technology, writing, listening, observation and teamwork, in cooperation with the Lafayette Urban Enterprise Association.

• Open Door Reading and Writing Center (LaPorte) - $19,800 to provide free computerized literacy training including resume and letter-writing, keyboarding, online research and communications via e-mail for English as a Second Language students, in cooperation with the LaPorte Economic Advancement Fund.

• Experience Works (Seymour) - $10,300 to provide job-search training classes and support in searching for unsubsidized employment for low-income seniors, in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

• Porter-Starke Counseling Centers (Valparaiso) - $10,000 to provide career counseling and job placement assistance for clients in Valparaiso, Portage, Know, Highland and Schereville, focusing on domestic violence victims at The Caring Place.

Verizon Foundation last year in Indiana awarded 29 grants totaling more than $455,000 to charitable and nonprofit agencies that focus on improving basic and computer literacy, enriching communities through technology, and creating a skilled work force. Nationally, the foundation awarded 22,000 grants totaling more than $70 million. The foundation uses its resources in the United States and abroad to develop partnerships in technology and connect them with organizations serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence and the economically and socially disadvantaged.

The foundation also supports Verizon Volunteers, an incentive program that last year encouraged Verizon employees to volunteer more than 500,000 hours in their communities and provided $27.8 million in combined contributions to charitable and nonprofit organizations. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon/com/foundation.

A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $67 billion in revenues and 221,000 employees. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 137.6 million access line equivalents and 34.6 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third largest long-distance carrier for U.S. consumers, with 14.6 million long-distance lines. The company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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