Having trouble reading this email? View it online: verizonnjcommunityupdate.com
Verizon NJ Community Update with underban
In This Issue
Verizon Poll
51 Nonprofits Reap $250k in Verizon Literacy Grants
BookMates Generating a Love for Books
YCS Efforts Work to Overcome Literacy Obstacles
NJ Students Awarded VZ Foundation Scholarships
Verizon Named One of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers
Follow Verizon New Jersey
TwitterFacebook Tag
 CU Poll Logo
 
What is your favorite way to read a book?
 
  • Old fashioned paper
  • Kindle
  • Nook
  • Smart Phone/PDA
  • Other Dedicated e-Reader
 
Take our exclusive online poll
A dollar a month may not seem like much, but it can go a long way to improving literacy skills in communities across New Jersey.

Thanks to the generosity of Verizon customers in New Jersey who participated in the company's "Check Into Literacy" program, 51 nonprofit organizations throughout the state received $250,000 in grants to support literacy programs.

Verizon presented the checks to the nonprofits at a ceremony on September 14 in Livingston.
BookMates is a social justice project of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern New Jersey and the Catholic Jewish Commission of Southern New Jersey. Its goal is to reach out to at-risk children in the community and provide them with a love and appreciation for reading, as well as to promote literacy and help children to become independent readers at an early age. There are 250 volunteers mentoring more than 600 children in 30 schools in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties.

For many of these children, this is the only one-on-one experience they have. Both the volunteers and the children they work with have expressed how much the program means to them.

Learn more ... 
For more than 90 years, the Youth Consultation Service (YCS) has served the ever changing needs of New Jersey's children. The non-profit social agency has nearly 70 programs throughout the state that assists over 3,000 children in the early detection, prevention and treatment of mental health and development issues.

In September, YCS received a Check into Literacy grant from the Verizon Foundation for its Essential Life Skills Job Training Program, which helps prepare youth for successful transition to independent life. The program is open to youth in YCS care, 17 years-old and up, and helps prepare them for a successful transition to independent life through internships and job training.
NJ Students Awarded VZ Foundation Scholarships

The fall semester is in full session at colleges and universities across the nation, and five New Jersey students will have some help paying their bills for school.  This year's New Jersey recipients are among 675 students nationwide who have received scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year through Verizon's scholarship program for children and dependents of company employees.

The students will each receive $5,000 annually toward their college expenses. The scholarship program selects recipients based on financial need, academic achievement and extracurricular activities. Each scholarship is renewable for three years and has a total value of $20,000.
Verizon Named One of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers

For the 10th consecutive year, Verizon has been named to Working Mother magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers. The annual list honors companies that have family-friendly benefits and policies that help working mothers strike a balance between their work and personal lives.

"At Verizon we constantly strive to mirror the communities we serve and create a workplace environment where everyone has the opportunity to excel in their career while also striking a healthy work-life balance," said Magda Yrizarry, Verizon's chief diversity officer and vice president for talent management.

Read more....