Thirteen Students from Central New York Awarded Verizon Foundation Scholarships

Thirteen Students from Central New York Awarded Verizon Foundation Scholarships

Company Awards Scholarships of Up to $20,000 to 250 Children of Verizon Employees

SYRACUSE, N.Y., June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Paying for college just got easier for 13 children of Verizon employees in Central New York who have earned college scholarships from the Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications.

The students will each receive $5,000 annually toward their college expenses and are eligible to receive a maximum award of $20,000 throughout four years of college.

   This year's recipients are:   -- Emily Blaney of Horseheads, a graduate of Horseheads High School and      daughter of Maureen Blaney, who plans to attend State University of New      York College at Geneseo.   -- Jessica Coombs of Rome, a graduate of Westmoreland High School and      daughter of Scott Coombs, who plans to attend Albany State University.   -- Nicholas Coon of Liverpool, a graduate of Liverpool High School and son      of Jacklynn Coon, who plans to attend Le Moyne College.   -- Michael Davis of Horseheads, a graduate of Horseheads High School and      son of Leslie Denissoff, who plans to attend State University of New      York at Albany.   -- Heather Eckes-Conway of Verona Beach, a graduate of Oneida High School      and daughter of James Conway, who plans to attend State University of      New York at Oswego.   -- Morgan Engelbert of Elmira Heights, a graduate of Thomas A. Edison High      School and daughter of Amy Engelbert, who plans to attend Keuka      College.   -- Timothy Fitzgerald of Utica, a graduate of T.R. Proctor High School and      son of Michael Fitzgerald, who plans to attend Utica College.   -- Heather Gatzke of Cazenovia, a graduate of Cazenovia High School and      daughter of Peter Gatzke, who plans to attend Albany State University.   -- Steven Lowe of Oneida, a graduate of Oneida High School and son of      Brian Lowe, who plans to attend State University of New York College at      Fredonia.   -- Kathryn Murphy of Owasco, a graduate of Skaneateles High School and      daughter of Chalyce Murphy, who plans to attend Daemen College.   -- Frances Pickles of Utica, a graduate of Proctor High School and      daughter of Joanne Pickles, who plans to attend Boston University.   -- Chelsey Whitson of Wellsburg, a graduate of Southside High School and      daughter of Wendy Whitson.  Chelsey is still deciding on the college of      her choice.   -- Yana Klebanov of Pittsford, a graduate of Rush Henrietta Senior High      School and daughter of Vadim Rabovsky, who plans to attend Babson      College.    

The students are among 40 students across New York receiving Verizon scholarships worth up to $460,000 for four years of college.

Verizon's scholarship program selects recipients based on financial need, academic achievement and extracurricular activities. The scholarships are for high school seniors who plan to attend an accredited four-year institution.

Since 2001, more than 1,800 students from across the country have benefited from the scholarship program, which has invested more than $27.7 million toward the college education of children and dependents of Verizon employees. For the 2007-2008 academic year, the Verizon Foundation will invest approximately $4.8 million toward the education of 957 Verizon scholars, including 250 freshman and 707 upperclassmen.

"Our commitment to developing an educated work force for the 21st century begins at home, with the children of our employees," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. "Verizon proudly supports these students because we realize that an investment in their education is an investment in the future."

The Verizon Foundation awards the scholarships in partnership with Scholarship America, the nation's largest nonprofit, private sector scholarship and educational support organization, which was founded in 1958.

A list of Verizon scholars is available on the Verizon Foundation Web site, at http://www.verizon.com/foundation.

The Verizon Foundation is committed to improving literacy and K-12 education; fostering awareness and prevention of domestic violence; and promoting the use of technology in health-care delivery. In 2006, the foundation awarded more than $69 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched charitable donations from Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $29 million in combined contributions. Under the foundation's Verizon Volunteer initiative, one of the nation's largest employee-volunteer programs, company employees and retirees have also contributed nearly 3 million hours of community service since Verizon's inception in 2000.

For more information on the foundation, visit http://www.verizon.com/foundation.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) , headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 60.7 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of more than 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Heather Wilner of Verizon, +1-212-321-8333,
heather.b.wilner@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/
http://www.verizon.com/foundation

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

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