A spider web of impact.
A sign-off, a single day relay and a special guest.
Full Transparency
Our editorial transparency tool uses blockchain technology to permanently log all changes made to official releases after publication. However, this post is not an official release and therefore not tracked. Visit our learn more for more information.
On today’s episode of Up To Speed Live:
- V Teamer Hope brings hope home for this Verizon Innovative Learning Launch,
- Bringing support and security to the Hispanic small business community,
- World Happiness Day gave Sampath a reason to smile,
- Putting the network to use with the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay,
- Final Stock Together vesting date means money in the bank for so many V Teamers,
- Stay on top of the most interesting and important stories each week with The Rewind,
- Special visits to the Jersey City and Hoboken Verizon stores
🧑🏽💻Hope’s hometown bustling with hope from teaching tech with Verizon Innovative Learning
You may have heard a lot about Verizon Innovative Learning (VIL) initiatives lately, especially as we reached an impressive and important 7 million student milestone in March. But there’s nothing like seeing for yourself what happens when you bring VIL’s innovative programs into the classroom and watching the spark of interest turn to flame within students for yourself.
Hope heads home: Last week, V Teamer Hope Arcuri returned to her hometown of Winston-Salem North Carolina to see the unveiling of the Verizon Innovative Learning lab (one of numerous VIL programs designed to bring cutting-edge technology to under-resourced school districts) at the Winston Salem Preparatory Academy. Watch the video to see more about Hope’s connection to the community and the importance of this program in her hometown.
Bringing tech to the classroom: VIL has been active in the city of Winston Salem for more than 5 years, supporting 12 schools in the district. The Verizon Innovative Learning Lab program integrates emerging technology with a project-based curriculum in a custom-designed, state-of-the-art experiential learning lab within Title I schools.
Partnerships make possible: The Lab is made possible thanks to our partnership with the Heart of America Foundation and Arizona State University. The program empowers schools across the country to become hubs of innovation by providing technology, education and opportunity to their students and the surrounding community, and ongoing training for teachers.
Learn more about Verizon Innovative Learning: Learn more at citizenverizon.com and see some of the tech and curriculum in action at verizon.com/learning.
🔐Support and security are on the agenda for Hispanic Small Business Expo in Washington D.C. [05:36]
The Hispanic community represents one of the fastest growing customer segments at Verizon, and we are working in numerous ways to provide solutions and support to these critical consumer and business customers.
Helping Hispanic businesses thrive: We’re working hard to provide solutions for Hispanic small businesses, and this Thursday, March 28, we’ll be discussing them and so much more as a presenting sponsor at the largest Latino business in the D.C. metro area: the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.
▶️Click play: To see Up To Speed’s Mario Acosta-Velez from the Engagement, Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Policy team talk about the importance of our support and what attendees can expect.
😀 Does more tech = more happiness? Sampath says … [07:42]
How do you feel about happiness? Just kidding, the search for some form of happiness is a pretty universal goal. The pursuit of happiness is no joke: that’s why global news platform Semaform hosted a Global Happiness Summit, where they discussed Gallup’s 2024 World Happiness Report. Consumer CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath attended to discuss our Consumer Connections Report and how our connections findings relate to the happiness findings.
Does connectivity equal happiness? You might not think so, in a world of social media trolls, doom-scrolling and business moguls who tend to over-share, but when it comes to keeping in touch with the real people who are in your family and community, connectivity does contribute to happiness and our well-being.
▶️See for yourself: Check out highlights on the Up To Speed Replay [08:12], or you can see the entire conversation Sampath and Semaform’s Justin Smith. Posted on YouTube, this fascinating discussion hits on many of the topics we worry about most, from finding the right balance for kids to staying fit, and how it relates to happiness.
🏁A quick 24-hour relay race through the desert: The 39th Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay [09:20]
When it’s speed and connectivity you need, we’re up to the challenge. Just ask the participants of the 39th Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay.
Wait, what? Okay, it does require a little explanation. The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team joined the team of medical professionals and race organizers in the remote desert areas between Baker, California and Las Vegas, Nevada to provide them with the communication tools they needed.
What’s this about 24-hours? You can imagine how important it is to keep this team connected as they work to ensure the safety of more than 9,000 runners over the course of the 24-hour relay race.
All in all: The team delivered five Satellite Picocells on Trailers, two rapid response connectivity units, cellular and wi-fi capabilities, and many other Verizon Frontline solutions to keep everyone running in good working order.
🤑 2024 vesting day for Stock Together [10:02]
This week marks the final vesting milestones of the year for Stock Together Awards. For those of you not keeping track, this equals moolah in the bank for those who are vested!
A quick recap: Stock Together is our equity award program that creates an opportunity for all of us to share in the success of Verizon and the value we create through a discretionary award of Verizon Restricted Stock Units. These awards vest over a three-year period subject to your continued employment with the company.
This week: Today, the proceeds associated with the vesting of the first third of your 2023 Stock Together award were deposited into your Fidelity brokerage account. You can request a check, do an electronic funds transfer or you can reinvest the money in your Fidelity brokerage account.
Thursday, your 2024 Stock Together Award will appear in your Fidelity account.
Get all the info about this and all of your Stock Together Awards on Inside Verizon, and at NetBenefits.com/Verizon.
⏪Don’t forget: But if you do, there’s always The Rewind [11:00]
Do you ever find yourself struggling to stay on top of all the news that’s happening across the company? If you do – you’re not alone but the good news is we have a solution and it’s called The Rewind!
Check your inbox each Friday: Look out for an email from Up To Speed Host, Raquel Wilson with the subject line – you guessed it – “The Rewind: …” In each issue you’ll find:
- A quick rewind of the stories from Up To Speed and Inside Verizon that will impact your workday, your wallet and your warm fuzzies,
- A sneak peek link for this week’s employee profile on 2 Minute Break,
- The most hilarious, heartwarming and buzzworthy reels from the Inside Verizon Social Media – which also includes the latest “always wanted to know but never knew who to ask” topic from VZ 101,
- And, a sneak preview of the most important things coming up on Up to Speed in the next week or so.
🗣️💬Give us your feedback! Check out an issue in your inbox and let us know what you think right here in the comments– and definitely let us know if you have suggestions on what you’d like to see more or less of in future editions.
