Beginning with the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, followed by tornadoes in Missouri and Alabama, it's been a difficult year for disaster relief. When Hurricane Irene dumped torrential rains along the Eastern Seaboard, it struck closer to home, especially here in New Jersey.

The Verizon Foundation, Verizon's philanthropic arm, will give the American Red Cross a $100,000 grant to assist in relief efforts in communities affected by Hurricane Irene. 

Additionally, the foundation's disaster relief incentive program will match dollar-for-dollar all donations by U.S.-based Verizon employees, up to $1,000 per employee, to the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army for Hurricane Irene relief.  

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Even though the force of its winds was downgraded to a tropical storm as it reached the U.S. coastline, Hurricane Irene still whipped the Eastern Seaboard with high winds and torrential rainfall, causing power outages and flooding in countless communities. One of the hardest hit was right here in New Jersey in Paterson, which had record floods from the Passaic River.

Before the storm even made landfall, Verizon activated its disaster response team and staged equipment in strategic locations in preparation for recovery activities. The disaster response team and the wireless network, government and business sales teams worked  closely with federal, state and local emergency management officials.

Verizon coordinated with the Paterson Mayor's Office to provide a mobile communications center to help residents contact family, friends and loved ones.  

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During difficult economic times, the possibility of domestic violence can escalate within families as tensions mount. Verizon has been a national leader in helping to prevent and educate on domestic violence issues. In today's fast-paced, frenetic world, too often teenagers feel they are lost in the mix, perhaps bullied in school, feeling they have a problem that no one understands and nowhere to turn. 

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Power is knowledge, or so the saying goes. But, if you can't read, how much knowledge can you gain? Earlier this month, The College Board announced that SAT reading scores nationally for the high school class of 2011 were the lowest on record, and combined reading and math scores fell to their lowest point since 1995. It was just the second time in the last two decades reading scores have fallen as much in a single year.

On the heels of that news, the Verizon Foundation issued grants to 34 New Jersey nonprofit organizations totaling $110,000. The funds were the result of the generosity of Verizon New Jersey landline customers who participated in the company's Check Into Literacy program. The grants will be used to support education programs, particularly those that use technology for teaching, learning and reaching more people.  

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Verizon has earned the No. 8 ranking in the LATINA Style 50, LATINA Style magazine's annual list of the best companies for Latinas to work for in the U.S. It's the ninth consecutive year that the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion has been recognized by the publication.

 

Women and people of color make up nearly 60 percent of Verizon's workforce and 46 percent of Verizon's Board of Directors.

 

"Globally, women are continuing to break through the traditional gender barriers in business," said Magda Yrizarry, Verizon's chief talent and diversity officer.  "In today's global and competitive environment, an inclusive corporate culture that maximizes the talents and ideas of women is essential to providing the innovative products and services our customers want. We're honored to once again have our commitment to diversity and inclusion recognized by LATINA Style magazine."

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