Among the grants awarded by Verizon in 2006 were: Junior Achievement -- $10,000 to expand its Economics for Success interdisciplinary program, which supports the attainment of academic standards in social studies, reading, writing, mathematics and family and consumer science. Meeting Street Center -- $10,000 to fund the Smart Board Technology, which provides typically developing students and students with severe/profound disabilities with a means to interact and learn through this new technology. Rhode Island PBS Foundation -- $20,000 for the Ready To Learn program, specifically serving the parents of socio-economically disadvantaged children under 8 years of age in Even Start, Head Start and other early childhood development programs throughout the state. The goal is to ensure that all children begin school ready to learn. Boys & Girls Club of Providence -- $9,000 to support Mommy, the Computer and Me, targeting Internet safety, basic computer knowledge and parent-child interactions. Providence Journal Newspaper in Education -- $5,000 to help support Reading Week, a statewide literacy program organized annually in cooperation with the Rhode Island State Council of the International Reading Association. Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence -- $10,000 to help expand its Web site capabilities to include interactive media on its Web page, utilizing the nationally recognized Domestic Violence Awareness materials, including Spanish language translations, for all victim-related materials and outreach information. Salve Regina University -- $5,000 for March Into Reading, a two-day event that incorporates the participation of approximately six children's authors and illustrators, as well as 17 K-5 grade schools on Aquidneck Island. YWCA of Northern Rhode Island -- $10,000 to fund Parenting in Progress, a program addressing academic education, parenting, childcare, life skills and job readiness to teenage mothers. Day One -- $5,000 to expand its Rhode Island Children's Advocacy Center (CAC), providing evaluation, evidence gathering and treatment services to child victims of sexual and/or physical abuse and their non-offending family members. A Wish Come True -- $10,000 for Klimb for Kids. Dr. Tim Warren of Rhode Island will attempt to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world. In partnership with support from Verizon and the Telephone Pioneers, this experience will be brought live into the classrooms of participating schools via an audio/video broadcast using high-tech equipment. Verizon works closely with a variety of advisory groups and nonprofit organizations to identify local needs and to develop and nurture programs that address those needs through the philanthropic support of the Verizon Foundation. | 
