Deliver Your News to the World

Four Tampa Bay-Area Education Foundations Receive More Than $47,000 in Literacy Grants Through Verizon’s Check Into Literacy Program


WEBWIRE

TAMPA, Fla. - A dollar a month may not seem like much, but it can go a long way to improving literacy skills in Florida while also giving people the opportunity to succeed.

Thanks to the generosity of Verizon customers who participated in the company’s Check Into Literacy program, four public education foundations serving the Tampa Bay region have received $47,740 in grants to support literacy programs.

The Check Into Literacy initiative allows Verizon landline phone customers to support literacy by checking a box on their monthly bills to make a $1-a-month, tax-deductible donation to promote literacy.

“This is a classic case of a little bit going a long way to address a significant challenge for our society,” said Michelle Robinson, Verizon’s Southeast region president. “The ability to read opens the door to all possibilities. Verizon strongly supports efforts through our foundation and employee volunteerism to produce a more literate America, and the Check Into Literacy program is an easy way for our customers to join us in our efforts.”

The following local education foundations received Check Into Literacy grants:

* Pasco Education Foundation - $7,740 for Creative Teaching Grants, a program that provides funding for teachers to purchase materials and equipment needed to implement programs that focus on literacy, improving student performance, and career and technical education initiatives.

* Pinellas Education Foundation - $15,000 for the Broadband Institute, a technology literacy program that trains young adults in the broadband technology skills needed for future employment in the region’s expanding broadband industry.

* Polk Education Foundation - $10,000 for AmeriCorps Polk Reads Program, which assists children in kindergarten through third grade who are reading below grade level.

* Education Foundation of Sarasota County - $15,000 for two programs: $7,500 for the Edge of Excellence Classroom, which will provide literacy grants of $500 each to educators to enhance their professional development, share best practices, explore new ways to deliver curriculum, and advance student achievement; and $7,500 for the Literacy for Life Program, which aims to improve struggling readers’ skills through the purchase and implementation of new literacy-based technology to enhance classroom libraries, literacy labs, reading resource rooms or media center reading corners.

Thanks to the generosity of Verizon customers who support Check Into Literacy, nonprofit organizations in 26 states and Washington, D.C., will receive more than $1.15 million to bolster literacy efforts. The participating states are: Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.



WebWireID75804





This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.