A thousand welcomes.

On today’s Up To Speed, Diana shared the following updates:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G

It sounds too good to be true: Five pro level cameras on a sleek, compact phone that unfolds into a large, gorgeous tablet. Want to learn more? George gave us a sneak peak at the incredible new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, which offers the flexibility to balance your life, work, family and everything in between. Verizon pre-orders start September 2.

Niantic introduces the next frontier of gaming.

Gamers, we have great news for you as well. With the Niantic Planet-Scale AR Alliance, we’re joining forces with Niantic to build an augmented-reality platform to enable new interactive experiences across mobile devices and AR wearables, all with the power of 5G. For you and tens of millions of Niantic explorers around the world, gaming has never felt so real.

Hurricane Laura Recovery

Our restoration efforts continue in Louisiana, especially in the hard hit area of Lake Charles. We've also extended unlimited call/text/data to the region. All the details are on our Emergency Resource Center.

Virtual March on Washington

We’ve made volunteering a major priority of the V Team community and last Friday we hit a milestone: More than 24,000 of us participated in our first ever Virtual March on Washington to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s march and speech 57 years ago.

Congrats to Kyle Malady and the Global Network & Technology team, which had more than 10,000 V Teamers take part. Another big shout out to those V Teamers marching while on National Guard training duty.

Living the Dream

We also got a special message from V Teamer Ungela Cosar, Account Manager in Cary, NC. She wrote that she “got inspired” after watching the Up To Speed special #Next20 interview with Dr. Clarence B. Jones. Ungela and her youngest son decided to make the journey to Washington DC and experience the event live and in person. “It was an indelible experience for us, amongst a sea of various types of people seeking to realize the essence of ‘The Dream.’” she wrote. Congrats to you, Ungela, for turning a thought into a memorable action.

Hiring Our Heroes

We owe so much to our service members and veterans - 10,000 strong at Verizon. One way we try to give back is through our Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) Corporate Fellowship. The program provides service members with management training and hands-on experience in the civilian workforce, preparing individuals for smooth transitions into meaningful civilian careers.

Since 2018, Verizon has participated in seven HOH cohorts, which have resulted in a total of 26 new hires with a 100% retention rate. This week, we are proud to announce our biggest cohort to date, with 16 Fellows starting an 11-week program. Members of this cohort are joining from the U.S. Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the Navy, and they will work across the business in Corporate, Global Network and Technology, Verizon Business Group and Verizon Consumer Group roles.

Be kind.

We all need a reminder these days of the power of kindness. Fortunately, we have V Teamer Crystal Phelps, part of our Global Network & Technology team in Chester, VA. Inspired by what she saw in other communities, she decided to make “Be Kind” signs and give them to neighbors in her Tri Cities community in Virginia. It’s a family affair. Crystal’s mom paints and her stepdad drills the holes. They make up to 200 at a time. Crystal, thank you so much for being a beacon of good will.

The latest Up To Speed winner

We have a new winner of the Are You Up to Speed contest. Congratulations to Kathleen Schoenmann, Executive Assistant in our Verizon Business Group in Chicago. You are our grand winner and we thank you for participating!

Staycation Destination: Dublin

Andy and his virtual camper have rolled into Dublin, Ireland, land of writers (James Joyce, Oscar Wilde), natural beauty (Cliffs of Moher) and rock bands (U2, The Pogues).

Though this destination is all the way “across the pond,” our local tour guide is a familiar face: Ronan Dunne, CEO of the Verizon Consumer Group.

Ronan points out that Ireland is known as the island of saints and scholars, and he suggests learning about the various writers and orators who have called Dublin home. And if all of that learning gets you thirsty, all the better, for Dublin is home to Guinness beer, one of the oldest breweries in the world. If you’re still thirsty after that, Northern Ireland has one of the oldest distilleries: Bushmills.

Back in Dublin, Ronan recommends the farm-to-table restaurant Host, which focuses on quality of service and ingredients. During the pandemic, Host transitioned to a farm shop and began offering ingredients and instructions so that patrons could make tasty Host meals at home.

Ronan urges all of us to keep reaching out to our friends and family around the world. He also reminds us that the most popular Irish tradition celebrated in the United States is not St. Patrick’s Day, but Halloween. Thanks for that treat, Ronan!

Fine street art

Solus is a successful street artist who has painted murals around the world. His art is, by its nature, is temporary. It could be up on a building for six months or six years. Getting approval for one of his works can be time-consuming. Unlike graffiti artists, Solus needs to get approval of his design from both the building owner and the local government.

From Dublin to Washington to Louisiana, that’s all the news we have for now. Until next time, you’re up to speed.

If you have any questions, email them to live@verizon.com.

Click here for a transcript of the webcast.

Get the latest information on our Coronavirus Resource Page (Inside Verizon, The Street).

Reminder, tune in to Up To Speed Live tomorrow at 12 PM ET/9 AM PT.

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