Verizon Employees, Foundation Support El Salvador Quake Relief Effort

NEW YORK -- In the wake of the devastating Jan. 13 earthquake and accompanying mudslides in El

Salvador, Verizon Communications' Hispanic Support Organization and Verizon Foundation have partnered to assist

in raising funds for disaster relief efforts.

The Hispanic Support Organization, a Verizon employee resource group, and Verizon Foundation, the corporation's

philanthropic arm, launched an employee fundraising drive. Verizon employees' donations to Catholic Relief Services,

targeted toward El Salvador, will be matched by the foundation through mid-February.

"The horrific earthquake in El Salvador touched the hearts of many Verizon employees and customers,"

said Suzanne DuBose, president of Verizon Foundation. "By partnering with our employees and with an

outstanding human service agency that specializes in disaster recovery and care, we hope to help thousands of

Salvadorans in their time of need."

Dora Torres, an executive board member of Verizon's Hispanic Support Organization said: "A number of

Verizon employees are Salvadorans and have friends and relatives still living in El Salvador about whom we are very

concerned. We are reaching out to our fellow employees for their financial support and are pleased that Verizon

Foundation is supporting us in this effort."

Verizon Foundation supports a variety of programs that focus on improving literacy, bridging the digital divide,

enriching communities through technology and creating a skilled workforce. Verizon Foundation promotes

partnerships in technology with organizations serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, and the

economically and socially disadvantaged across the United States and selected foreign countries. The foundation also

supports a Volunteer Incentive Program and matching gift programs for Verizon employees. For more information,

visit www.verizon.com/foundation on the Internet.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, is one of the world's leading

providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless

communications in the United States, with more than 101 million access line equivalents and more than 27 million

wireless customers. A Fortune 10 company with more than 260,000 employees and approximately $60 billion in

1999 revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For

more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.