New National Law Enforcement Museum Receives $1.5 Million from Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation is funding innovative education and technology programs at the new National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, D.C. The planned facility will be the world's most comprehensive museum on law enforcement.
Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston presented the $1.5 million grant to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the nonprofit leading the effort to build the museum, on May 4 at the Lincoln Multicultural Middle School in Northwest Washington. Groundbreaking for the museum is scheduled for the fall of 2010.
"Education and domestic violence prevention are two of the Verizon Foundation's key social issues," said Gaston. "Our partnership with the National Law Enforcement Museum will give students, parents and teachers access to valuable resources that will improve their educational experience and help them find tools to prevent domestic violence."
The grant will fund programs such as:
- "What's in the Evidence," a school program to help students learn to use clues to solve cases presented by museum exhibits. Supporting online materials will be available from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity.org.
- Standards-based civics, history, math and science programs for students in grades K-12, available at the museum and on its website.
- Monthly events designed to teach students to play safely, make good decisions and escape violence and bullying with the objective of increasing respect and trust between law enforcement, domestic violence survivors and their families and the public.
- A domestic violence awareness and prevention certification program for professionals who assist domestic violence victims.
Eighth-grade students at the middle school talked with Eric Close, who plays Detective Martin Fitzgerald on TV's "Without a Trace" and is a Verizon Community Champion. They discussed civic engagement, peer pressure and the importance of decisions teens make and how they can lead to success or failure later in life.
Students and their families also participated in a Verizon Wireless HopeLine® drive to collect used cell phones, batteries and accessories to support domestic violence survivors and the organizations that help them.
