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| At Verizon Washington DC, every outreach program and initiative we undertake centers around our core belief: the power of communications technologies to change lives. Our efforts are rooted in a century-old tradition of giving back to the communities we serve, guided by the firm belief that technology can have a profound and positive effect on social issues. |
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2007 at a Glance
In 2007 nearly 600 nonprofits in the District received $6.3 Million in Verizon Foundation grants supporting local and national programs focused on improving basic literacy skills, creating new and diverse approaches to technology-based learning, and helping victims of domestic violence rebuild their lives.
In addition, Verizon employees and retirees in Washington donated more than 3,650 hours and raised more than $271,000 last year for nonprofits under the foundation's Verizon Volunteers program.
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2007 Grants Highlights
The District of Columbia nonprofits that received Verizon Foundation grants during 2007 included:
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
Fight for Children
Washington Parks and People
Verizon Community Technology Centers - these five state-of-art technology centers allow D.C. residents access to high-speed Internet, technology-based training and literacy classes at no charge. The centers are conveniently located throughout the city.
Mary's Center for Maternity and Child Care - a community-based organization based in Adams Morgan, the center builds better futures for families through the delivery of health care, education and social services. Recognized as a national model, Mary's Center is committed to providing culturally competent programs and services to improve the quality of life of diverse families.
The Urban Alliance Foundation - an organization whose mission is to prepare young adults from under-resourced neighborhoods in the District for the world of work and a life of self-sufficiency through education, mentoring and meaningful paid internships.
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Verizon Foundation
In conjunction with the Verizon Foundation, we focus our support on initiatives that improve literacy and K-12 education, help families victimized by domestic violence, and promote the use of technology to improve health care.
In 2006, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $10 million in grants to charitable and nonprofit agencies in the District of Columbia. If you are interested in partnering with the Verizon Foundation, please visit www.verizon.com/foundation or contact Kimberly Bassett at kimberly.a.bassett@verizon.com .
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| Community Outreach |
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Verizon Washington, DC manages a strategic outreach program designed to maximize its impact by reaching all residents and businesses within the District of Columbia. The program focuses on:
- Technology education for residents, with a particular focus on youth
literacy and domestic violence prevention;
- Consumer education;
- Employee volunteer programs that support civic and community service.
Working with the Telephone Pioneers, D.C. government, non-profit organizations and corporate partners our External Affairs team has designed and implemented community outreach programs that serve a broad spectrum of community and educational-based organizations across the District of Columbia.
Every year Verizon Washington, DC conducts more than a hundred visits to non-profit organizations, civic association meetings, ANC meetings, and community events throughout the city's eight wards to educate DC residents on the programs and services available to them. This includes such programs as Verizon DC's Economy II Service, Message B Service, Child Internet Safety and Check Into Literacy. If you are interested in having a Verizon representative attend your community meeting please contact Kimberly Bassett at kimberly.a.bassett@verizon.com.
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| Featured Programs: Best-in-Class Models |
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| We formed a partnership with the State Education Office, the State Education Agency for Adult Education at the University of the District of Columbia and the Mayor’s Adult Literacy Council. Verizon provided funding for a web-based instructional technology program called PLATO to assist DC residents in gaining work readiness and literacy skills. The PLATO software is available on 60 computers located at various DC Parks and Recreation centers and other locations throughout the District. |
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| For the past 13 years Verizon has partnered with Department of Employment Service (DOES) in an effort to employ DC youth. We are proud of having employed a record 600 DC youth and invested over $500,000. |
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| The Turning the Page Literacy Through Photography Program (LTP), a school-based community program developed by Photographer Wendy Ewald, puts cameras in the hands of children and encourages them to use their own photographs as inspiration for creative writing. Since 2002, the LTP program has demonstrated great success in engaging teachers and students in community based-learning with more than 40 teachers and 1,200 students participating. In the 2005-2006 school year, Turning the Page made LTP available to twenty-four teachers across seven partner schools, reaching over 400 students. For more information please visit www.turningthepage.org |
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| The Columbia Light House for the Blind Rap Program helps blind and visually impaired teens achieve high academic standards and reach their full potential. The organization's goal is to provide teens with support and experiences that will help them become more confident, socially adept, and optimistic about the future. Verizon's grant helps support a poetry and creative writing project for "Time to Rap." For more information please visit www.clb.org |
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| The United Reads program addresses the issue of literacy in the D.C. Public Schools by providing students new books throughout the school year. In addition, United Reads incorporates the sport of soccer which helps to instill a healthy lifestyle and life skills element to the reading aspect of the program. Another element is the United Reads/Verizon Foundation Reading Corners partnership with Reach Out and Read, an organization that creates literacy-rich environments in health centers by donating children’s books for pediatric reading corners. For more information please visit www.unitedfordc.org |
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Volunteers Make the Difference