Verizon Employees to Donate 200,000 Children’s Books to Aid Literacy in Annual ‘Season’s Readings’ Campaign
NEW YORK – For the seventh consecutive year, schools, libraries and nonprofits across the country will receive thousands of books donated by Verizon employees as part of the Verizon Foundation’s annual Season’s Readings campaign.
This year, employees at more than 300 locations will participate in the annual giving campaign with the goal of collecting 200,000 books. The month-long campaign will end on Dec. 14.
Participating Verizon employees will have the opportunity to donate books to a school or nonprofit in their local area, or purchase books that will be sent to a nonprofit, which will use the books as part of the organization’s literacy programs.
This year, the Verizon Foundation has partnered with the National Center for Family Literacy to assist employees in selecting books that are both entertaining and educational for children.
“Year after year, Verizon employees have demonstrated great generosity and a giving spirit that continue to make Season’s Readings successful in advancing the cause of literacy in many of the communities we serve,” said Sharon Darling, NCFL founder and president. “We’re proud to partner with the Verizon Foundation on this program and provide a recommended, age-appropriate reading list that will not only bring a smile to the face of the child receiving the present, but also entertain and teach valuable lessons.”
Since the launch of Season’s Readings in 2001, Verizon employees and the Verizon Foundation have donated more than 2 million books to 3,500 organizations across the country.
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, is committed to improving literacy and K-12 education through its signature program Thinkfinity.org; fostering awareness and prevention of domestic violence; and promoting the use of technology in health-care delivery. In 2006, the foundation awarded more than $69 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched charitable donations from Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $29 million in combined contributions. Under the foundation’s Verizon Volunteer initiative, one of the nation’s largest employee-volunteer programs, company employees and retirees have also contributed nearly 3 million hours of community service since Verizon’s inception in 2000.
For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, serving 63.7 million customers nationwide. Verizon’s Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation’s most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of nearly 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
12/03/2007|Verizon News Archives
