Smithsonian Institution Receives $100,000 Grant From Verizon to Update and Expand Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Program

Verizon Foundation Also Offering Free Educational Resources on Asia and Olympics on Thinkfinity.org

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - The Smithsonian Institute’s Asian Pacific American Program has received a $100,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to create an online “virtual village” where visitors can experience Asian Pacific American history and culture.

The virtual village will be accessible through the Smithsonian APA program’s home page, www.apa.si.edu. On the Web site, visitors will be able to view online exhibits, hear oral histories, attend virtual programs, and download video and audio podcasts of events.

“This grant will take us to the next level of innovative Web strategies to educate the general public about the history, culture and perspectives of Asian Pacific Americans,” said Dr. Franklin S. Odo, director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program. “With APAs having the highest connectivity to the Internet, we expect the virtual village to be a great success.”

Using technology to expand learning opportunities is a key mission of the Verizon Foundation. Through its signature education and literacy program, Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon Foundation offers more than 55,000 standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans and other educational resources provided in partnership with many of the nation’s leading educational and literacy organizations.

In conjunction with the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, Verizon’s Thinkfinity.org will offer on a special section of its home page a rich collection of educational resources and activities for teachers, parents and students.

“The Olympics present a tremendous teaching opportunity for parents and educators to share China’s tremendous history and the history of the Olympic games,” said Verizon Foundation president Patrick Gaston. “Through Thinkfinity.org, parents and students receive quick and free access to a wide array of educational resources to deepen their understanding of the Olympic games and Asia.”

Content for Thinkfinity.org is provided through a partnership between the Verizon Foundation and 11 of the nation’s leading organizations in the fields of education and literacy: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, International Reading Association, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Center for Family Literacy, National Council on Economic Education, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Geographic Society, ProLiteracy Worldwide and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since Verizon’s inception in 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.