Eight Ohio Nonprofits Receive Grants From Verizon Foundation

MARION, Ohio - Eight Ohio nonprofit organizations have been awarded grants totaling $93,500 from Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, to help train workers for new, better jobs.

"As our society increasingly relies on technology, it is imperative that people have the training and skills to succeed," said Todd Colquitt, president, Verizon Ohio. "These grants will give many unemployed and underemployed men and women the chance to learn the basics so they can obtain meaningful jobs in the future.

"Cultivating a skilled workforce helps attract jobs and businesses in a competitive marketplace," said Colquitt. "Healthy communities are essential to the success of any company, including Verizon. We are pleased to help these organizations ensure that the communities we serve continue to grow and thrive."

The organizations receiving grants are:

• Marion Technical College, Marion -- $25,000 to purchase equipment for a telecommunications course.

• Grand Lake Mercer County Research, Celina -- $5,000 to advertise and market manufacturing jobs open to high school students in "Tool Valley."

• Community Assault Prevention, Jackson -- $10,000 to purchase computer equipment to teach crime victims how to use computers to write a resume and search for a job.

• SELF (Support to Encourage Low-Income Families), Butler -- $8,000 to teach low-income residents in Oxford how to look for a job and improve their education skills to reduce their reliance on public assistance.

• Southern State Community College, Hillsboro -- $15,000 to upgrade a computer lab that is used to teach career development and other job skills to displaced homemakers and single parents.

• Community Action Program, Washington/Morgan Counties, Marietta -- $8,000 to the organization's Youth Connection program that provides workforce development training to students in Macksburg, Lower Salem, Beverly, Waterford, Barlow and Bartlett and encourages them to graduate from high school.

• Workforce Services Unlimited, Circleville -- $10,500 to purchase computers for schools in Pickaway, Amanda and Beverly to enable students to write a resume, research jobs, and apply for jobs on-line.

• Westside Ecumenical Ministry, Cleveland -- $12,000 to develop a basic literacy and work-skills curriculum in partnership with ClevelandReads that will help people make the transition from welfare to work and learn the skills needed to obtain and keep a job.

Verizon Foundation last year awarded 40 grants totaling more than $697,000 to charitable and nonprofit agencies in Ohio 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 matching gifts 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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