California Verizon Employees Donate $40,000 Worth of Supplies to Assist Area Schools
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Verizon employees throughout California collected nearly $40,000 worth of items to donate to schools in their communities during a recent Tools for School drive.
The employees are among workers at 372 Verizon locations throughout the country who took part in the two-week campaign to collect new pens and pencils, rulers, crayons, backpacks, and other items children need to start the school year. In all, employees donated an estimated $300,000 worth of supplies to more than 300 schools and nonprofits across the U.S. [Note: A list of California schools benefiting from the campaign is available at the end of the release.]
"Supporting education and literacy has long been a primary social cause for Verizon," said Elva Lima, vice president - strategic programs for Verizon. "Whether it's by providing interactive educational tools on Verizon's Thinkfinity.org Web site, or classroom supplies, Verizon will continue to support efforts to give parents, students and teachers the tools needed to help all children succeed."
Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's comprehensive program and online portal to 55,000 standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans and other educational resources provided in partnership with many of the nation's leading educational and literacy organizations.
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org, and promotes health and safety. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since Verizon's inception in 2000.
For more information about Verizon California and the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/ca.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 69 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,600 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
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California schools that benefited from Verizon's Tools for School campaign:
Santa Fe Elementary School, Baldwin Park; Bloomington High School, Bloomington; Downey YMCA, Downey; Charles Brown Elementary School, El Dorado; Hemet Elementary School, Hemet; Oak Creek Elementary School, Irvine; Robert E. Lee Elementary School, Long Beach; Burnett Elementary School, Long Beach; 32nd Street/USC Performing Arts Magnet School, Los Angeles; School On Wheels, Malibu; Peach Hill Elementary School, Moorpark; New River Elementary School, Norwalk; Elderberry Elementary School, Ontario; Orcutt Academy Grades 1-9, Orcutt; Boys & Girls Clubs Of Oxnard And Port Hueneme, Oxnard; El Centrito Learning Center, Oxnard; Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School, Oxnard; Pacoima Charter School, Pacoima; Val Verde Unified School District, Perris; Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, Sacramento; Wilson Elementary School, San Bernardino; Rio Vista Elementary School, San Bernardino; McKinley Elementary School, San Francisco; Riverglen Elementary School, San Jose; Taft Elementary School, Santa Ana; Harding Elementary School, Santa Barbara; John Muir School, Santa Monica; Liberty Elementary School, Victorville; Victor Elementary School District, Victorville; Elkhorn Village Elementary School, West Sacramento; Christian Sorensen Elementary School, Whittier