Verizon Foundation Awards $60,000 in Grants to Pennsylvania District Center Library Organizations

Six Pennsylvania district center library organizations have received $60,000 in grants from the Verizon Foundation to incorporate Verizon Thinkfinity resources into the organizations’ programs.  Verizon announced the grant awards Wednesday (Oct. 5) at a Pennsylvania Library Association luncheon in State College.

Verizon Thinkfinity (www.thinkfinity.org) offers free, online educational and literacy resources for teachers, parents and students provided in partnership with leading educational organizations.

“Libraries are vital educational links in the communities they serve, and integrating Verizon Thinkfinity and its interactive activities into their programs will give them powerful tools to promote learning,” said Douglas R. Smith, vice president of external affairs for Verizon Pennsylvania.  “It is very exciting to see these library organizations reap the rewards for their encouragement and leadership in providing the resources needed by everyone to succeed in the journey of life.”

The organizations participated in a competitive grant-award process earlier this year, submitting proposals that reflected innovative ideas to enhance their programs with Verizon Thinkfinity resources for individuals.  Each of the awardees will hold a “demonstration day” in the coming months to share their programs with the residents served in their local areas.

The following library organizations each received a $10,000 grant:

• Bucks County Libraries, Doylestown -- Stay Safe Online.
• The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia -- Verizon Lit-BOOST (Literacy Based Out of School Time).
• Lebanon County Library District Library Center, Lebanon – Online Resources for Early Childcare Providers.
• Library Foundation of Delaware County -- Let’s Read Math.
• Montgomery County – Norristown Public Library, Norristown -- Thinkfinity Literacy Labs.
• Schlow Centre Region Library, State College -- “Expanding Upon:  From Here to Thinkfinity ... and Beyond!”

Content for Verizon Thinkfinity is provided through a partnership between the Verizon Foundation and 11 of the nation's leading organizations in the fields of education and literacy: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Council for Economic Education, International Reading Association, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Center for Family Literacy, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Geographic Society, ProLiteracy and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 106 million total connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 196,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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