Easy Way To Get Extra Credit For School Programs (NAPSA)—Every time you makea Verizon long distancecall, you maybeable to go far toward helping the school of your choice. Through the Verizon Extra Credit for Schools program, Verizon will automatically donate five percent of a customer’s monthly long-distance usage charges to a designated school and mail a check to the school each quarter. Contributions are automatically made in Verizon’s name. Customers need not invest any money. All they have to dois let the phone company know which school they want to benefit and then choose their long distance plan. So far, over $2.5 million has been donated to schools nationwide. For example, in Dec. 2001, Verizon presented a check for $10,000 to Elizabeth Gern of Santee, Calif., who donated the money in her daughter’s name to Santana High School and its Link Crew program. Link Crew is a Denverbased mentoring program that helps smooth the sometimes traumatic transition for freshmen and other newcomersto high school. Salem Community High School in Indiana started a school district newspaper, profiling the achievements of elementary school students. Also, Salem Community Middle School has started a newspaper featuring gifted and talented students. “These groups have been looking for funding, and Verizon’s Extra Credit for Schools program will support them,” said Stanley Bippus, Salem Community Schools —_—_— —— ee An innovative program makesit easier to help students succeed. Superintendent. In Union Center Elementary School in Valparaiso, Ind., program donations totaling $259 were used to support activities, especially those that recognize student achievements. “The money that Verizon sends us goes directly into an account, which goes directly to the students,” said Sharon Kenning, Administrative Assistant at Union Center Elementary. “We use the money for student activities, recognition, and field day ribbons for all students.” Using a donation of $65, Rail Ranch Elementary School in Murietta, Calif., started an “Artist in Residence” program to provide students with challenging art projects. “The staff will be providingall students with challenging art projects, and Verizon’s donationswill pay for the art supplies,” said Jennifer Tan, principal of the Rail Ranch Elementary School. Other schools used the donationsto: * produce a digital yearbook created by students capturing a unique record of their experiences; deposit the money into a scholarship fund for the student that showed the most dramatic improvement during the school year; help students in the Tech Club who are planning to enter a Robotic Olympics competition; * provide financial support to the family of a young student suffering from a brain tumor; * purchase lab equipment for middle school students; install an elevator for a handicapped student; * enhance sports programs for boys andgirls. The program is now active in 47 states, with over 104,000 Verizon long-distance customers participating in the program. The money has also been used for reference materials, computer software and playground equipment. As long as schools use the money to enrich the learning experience of their students, they are free to spend the money however they wish. To find out more about the program, visit www.verizon.com/ extracredit. New and existing customers can also call 1-877X-CREDIT to sign up for the program.
