A Diversity Month conversation.
Be sure to join the Verizon UNITED event tomorrow. Plus, another chance to win free concert tickets.
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Happy Monday, V Team! We hope you had a great weekend. On today's episode of Up To Speed Live, host Raquel Wilson shared the following updates:
A selfless act of kindness
As we continue to support those affected by the crisis in Ukraine, we wanted to share the heartwarming story of V Teamer Zofia Stepkowska, who works in Global Customer Operations for the Verizon Business Group in Warsaw, Poland.
Given Poland's proximity to Ukraine, Zofia understood the gravity of the situation and wanted to help, but didn't know what to do at first. When her cousin called her to let her know about four women who were fleeing Ukraine near the Polish border and needed somewhere to stay, she wasted no time; Zofia met them at the Warsaw train station and took them in.
Recalled Zofia: “They came to my flat, and the first question they asked me was, ‘How much is this?’ So, I told them, ‘Guys, this is for free, of course.’”
Zofia said this experience has taught her 11-year-old daughter Kika a life lesson about the importance of sharing.
On behalf of the entire V Team, Zofia, thank you for your selflessness and kindness!
If you're inspired by Zofia’s story and looking for other ways to help, check out our Citizen Verizon Volunteers portal. We're inviting all V Teamers to join us as we work towards our collective volunteering goal of 2.5 million hours company-wide.
In related news, cheers to our friends at Global Citizen, who raised more than $10 billion in humanitarian aid to Stand Up for Ukraine this weekend.
Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers
Verizon is always looking for ways to help communities and provide new opportunities, as we do through Verizon Innovative Learning, which aligns with our Citizen Verizon responsible-business plan. Verizon Innovative Learning’s STEM Achievers program, for example, empowers middle-school students at under-resourced schools to build STEM and entrepreneurship skills.
Citizen Verizon caught up with some STEM Achiever alums to learn how the program influences their studies and their goals. Ricky Richardson, Sarah Throckmorton, Cerenity Brant, Joshua Garner and Christopher Floyd reflected on how the program impacted their development, from inspiring interest in STEM to finding innovative ways to incorporate artistic expression into tech.
The Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers program is free and open to middle-school students in select areas. Click here to read more about each alum's journey and goals.
A month to do good
As part of Global Volunteer Month, we're encouraging everyone in April (and beyond) to attend virtual or in-person volunteer events with friends and colleagues to seize the hour together.
And don’t forget: April 17 kicks off National Volunteer Week in the U.S. Founded in 1974, this weeklong event celebrates how volunteers tackle society's most significant challenges. All of Verizon’s ERGs will unite to amplify V Teamer volunteering opportunities, so be on the lookout!
Live Nation ticket giveaway
Keep sharing your Verizon workspace selfies with us! Whether you're serving our customers, working from home or checking in from another worksite, we want to see your photos and videos.
And if you send them to good@verizon.com or tag @InsideVerizon on Instagram or Twitter, you might be selected to attend some of the most sought-after Live Nation concerts of the season! This week, we're giving away tickets for a concert at Soldier Field in Chicago.
It's all part of our "First Access" program in partnership with Live Nation. "First Access," the new presale ticket access for Verizon Up members, gives special access to coveted Live Nation tours before tickets go on sale to the general public.
Verizon Up is free to join, easy to use and available on the My Verizon app. For more details, visit Verizon Up.
New podcast episode
We recently told you about ournewest Inside Verizon podcast, hosted by Up To Speed’s own Diana Alvear. The podcast aims to simplify and explore tech topics, including NFTs, web 3.0, the metaverse and more!
This week, Diana is talking Metaverse 101 with Zoe Scaman, a widely respected brand strategist in technology and innovation. Check out the full episode here.
Verizon UNITED
In addition to National Volunteer Month, April is Celebrate Diversity Month. And recently, our Chief Revenue Officer, Sampath Sowmyanarayan, announced Verizon's newest employee resource group, Verizon UNITED. This month, the group's theme is “UNITED Together,” focusing on our mosaic of different beliefs, cultures, upbringings and traditions.
Verizon UNITED will be hosting its first event Tuesday, when V Teamers can join a conversation with Cid Wilson, CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. He’ll discuss how individual uniqueness can foster career growth. You won't want to miss it! Click here to join the event at 3 p.m. ET Tuesday.
If you have any questions, email them to live@verizon.com.
