Verizon Employees in Virginia Donate $24,397 Worth of School Supplies to Assist Area Schools

During a recent Tools for School drive, Verizon employees at dozens of company work locations in Virginia collected $24,397 worth of school supplies that will be donated to 35 elementary schools across the state.

More than 500 Verizon locations throughout the country took part in the three-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 more than $500,000 worth of supplies to more than 400 schools and nonprofits across the U.S., with a specific focus on schools with a large population of students from low-income families.  A complete list of organizations receiving the donations can be found at: http://foundation.verizon.com/toolsforschool/docs/TFS2009_Beneficiaries_Final.pdf.

"Verizon has a long history of supporting education," said Robert W. Woltz Jr., president of Verizon Virginia. "Whether it's by providing free interactive educational resources for parents and teachers through Verizon Thinkfinity.org or by volunteering to assist an after-school program, Verizon will continue support efforts to provide the tools children need to succeed in the classroom."

Verizon Thinkfinity.org contains thousands of free educational resources including interactive games, videos and activities that make learning fun. Lesson plans, in-class activities and homework help can be found quickly and searched by grade level, keyword, or subject.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence.  In 2008, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $68 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad.  It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $26 million in combined contributions to nonprofits.  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 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: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 more than 87 million customers nationwide.  Verizon's Wireline operations provide converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network.  Wireline also includes Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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