Verizon Grants Assist Wisconsin Nonprofits With Workforce Development

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. - Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, has awarded $60,000 in workforce development grants to five nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin.

"Increasingly sophisticated job skills are needed for an individual to succeed in today's economy," said John O. Dudley, Great Lakes Region president for Verizon. "These Verizon grants will help train Wisconsin workers who lack specific job skills or re-train other workers who need to learn new skills."

Organizations receiving these Verizon Foundation grants are:
• Lake Mills High School receives a $10,000 grant for development of a high-tech center for integrated instruction in communications, transportation, materials sciences, laser technology, CAD, CNC, pneumatics, hydraulics, life sciences and agricultural sciences at Lake Mills. The project includes a multipurpose computer lab and writing center, accessible to the community evenings and weekends.

• Madison Area Technical College will receive $20,000 to create a new program of adult basic education services at the Columbia County Job Center in Portage. The program will assist persons to complete a GED or HSED and enhance basic skills, which will lead to greater self-sufficiency.

• A $10,000 grant to Northern Wisconsin Area Health Education Center at Wausau will purchase the Wired Trainer, a portable, networked, wireless computer laboratory that offers training to promote understanding of technology and workforce issues to health professionals and health career advisors.

• Opportunity Development Centers, Inc. will receive $10,000 to purchase a projector, laptop computer, digital camera and computer software and videos. These technologies will be used at the Marshfield Opportunity Development Center to create realistic training programs to allow people with disabilities to re-enter the work force.

• A $10,000 grant to Workforce Connections, Inc. will purchase computers using the Freedom Box Network that lets the blind navigate the Web by voice commands while text-to-speech software reads pages to them. The Freedom Box technology will be provided at the Mauston and Portage Job Centers to allow visually impaired clients access to the Web for education, job searches and resume preparation.

"Having a skilled workforce helps Wisconsin attract new jobs and businesses," said Dudley. "We are pleased to help these organizations ensure that the communities we serve continue to grow and thrive."

Verizon Foundation is committed to helping people and communities make progress every day. The foundation supports a variety of programs that focus on improving basic and computer literacy, bridging the digital divide, enriching communities through technology and creating a skilled work force. The foundation promotes partnerships in technology with organizations serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, and the economically and socially disadvantaged. The foundation also supports Verizon Volunteers, an incentive program that encourages Verizon employees to volunteer in their communities and provides matching gifts to nonprofit organizations. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) 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 135.1 million access line equivalents and 30.3 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and approximately 241,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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