Tools for School

Employees Help Students Get Ready for School with $300,000 in Donated Supplies

K-12 teachers spend an average of $475 of their own money each year to buy classroom materials and supplies.

Verizon employees donated more than $300,000 worth of back to school supplies as part of the recent "Tools for School" campaign sponsored by the Verizon Foundation.

In all more than 900 Verizon employees at 373 company locations volunteered to help collect new pens and pencils, rulers, crayons, backpacks and other items children need to start the school year. The supplies will benefit more than 300 schools and non-profit organizations throughout the country.

The help is needed. 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.

"It's great to see a major corporation that still has a focus on service and that has not forgotten about the importance of enriching the educational experience of our youth," said Maurice Kennard, principal of Francis-Stevens Educational Campus in Washington, D.C. "Verizon's donation came as a surprise to us and was full of high quality items that our teachers and students will truly appreciate."

All items collected will be distributed to more than 300 schools and non-profit organizations in the local communities where the items were collected.

"Supporting education and literacy has long been a primary social cause for Verizon," said Patrick Gaston, Verizon Foundation president. "Whether it's by providing interactive educational tools on Verizon's Thinkfinity.org Web site, or pencils and supplies needed 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 an award-winning, nationally recognized educational Web site that is provided by the Verizon Foundation and is free to everyone. It is used by teachers across the country to find approved lesson plans by 11 of the nation's leading educational and literacy organizations, as well as for professional development. In addition, Thinkfinity.org offers parents resources to help their children with their homework, studies and school projects.

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