Verizon Foundation Provided More Than $3.5 Million in Community Grants in 2010 to Support Nonprofit Organizations in New Jersey

Nonprofit groups in New Jersey received more than $3.5 million from the Verizon Foundation in 2010. The majority of the funds went to organizations that support education, domestic violence prevention and Internet safety.

 In addition, Verizon employees volunteered more than 68,600 hours to nonprofit groups throughout the Garden State in 2010.

"Verizon is driven by its employees to use the innovative power of our technology -- and our philanthropic dollars -- to address critical social issues," said Dennis M. Bone, president of Verizon New Jersey. "We are proud to partner with key nonprofit organizations throughout New Jersey to be a positive force for change in communities in greatest need."

Programs and organizations supported by the Verizon Foundation in 2010 include:

• The Community and Urban Science Enrichment (CAUSE) program, which provides Camden high school students with marine science and biology education programs from the New Jersey Academy for Aquatic Sciences.
• Resource Center of Somerset County's outreach program, which provides counseling, legal advocacy and case-management services for both adult and child victims of domestic abuse.
• East Brunswick Technology Training Center, to provide Thinkfinity.org, training to teachers and other users around the state.  Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's free K-12 educational website.
• Liberty Science Center's Live From program, which uses video conferencing to enable New Jersey students to view live surgery from hospital surgical suites.
• YMCA of Burlington County's Project Hope, which addresses the needs of  women who are domestic violence survivors and those who are at risk of becoming domestic violence victims.

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 mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 94.1 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 194,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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