Verizon Employees in Massachusetts Donate Supplies to Assist Area Schools

Nearly $300,000 Worth of Items Collected from Employees Companywide Through ’Tools for School’ Campaign

BOSTON - Verizon employees from 19 work sites across Massachusetts collected supplies to donate to local schools and nonprofit organizations from Andover to Springfield during a recent Tools for School drive.

These employees were among Verizon employees at 372 company locations throughout the country who took part in the two-week campaign to collect new pens and pencils, rulers, crayons, backpacks, and other items children need to start the school year. In all, employees donated an estimated $300,000 worth of supplies to more than 300 schools and nonprofits across the U.S.

According to a study by Quality Education Data (QED) and the Heller Reports, K-12 teachers spend an average of $475 of their own money each year to buy classroom materials and supplies.

“Supporting education and literacy has long been a primary social cause for Verizon,” said Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “Whether it’s by providing interactive educational tools on Verizon’s Thinkfinity.org Web site, or pencils and crayons for the classroom, Verizon will continue to support efforts to give parents, students and teachers the tools needed to help all children succeed.”

Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation’s comprehensive program and online portal to 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.

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.