National Eagle Leadership Institute Honors Verizon for Corporate Responsibility Efforts; Recognizes Verizon's Pedro Correa for Outstanding Leadership

NEW YORK - Verizon's Thinkfinity.org has earned the company the National Eagle Leadership Institute (NELI) Award for Stellar Leadership in Corporate Responsibility.

Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's free, comprehensive Web site containing more than 55,000 educational resources, including standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans, online educational games, videos and other materials provided in partnership with many of the nation's leading educational organizations.  Since the Web site's launch in March 2007, the Verizon Foundation has committed more than $34 million to update and expand Thinkfinity.org and provide training to teachers.

"The NELI Award celebrates companies that lead well, and Verizon's Thinkfinity.org is an exceptional demonstration of that achievement," said NELI's founder and president, Georgia L. Clark.  "The site punctuates Verizon's incredible commitment to education and to developing a pipeline of leaders for many years to come."  

Verizon was one of four companies to receive the award at the 16th annual CareerFOCUS Eagle Awards Gala and Leadership Summit, which was held last week in Chicago.

Also at the Summit, Pedro Correa, Verizon vice president of multilingual consumer and business sales, received the prestigious CareerFOCUS Eagle Award, the nation's premier leadership-achievement honor for African-American and Latino professionals who excel in business and community leadership. Correa is one of 16 individuals across the nation to receive the award this year.

The award has twice been named best awards and recognition program by FOLIO Magazine.

"We honor Pedro, along with his fellow 2008 CareerFOCUS Eagle Award winners, because he embodies infinite wisdom, responsibility and the heart to be an effective leader," said Clark.  "Eagle Award winners, value service to others and back competence with unshakable character that positively influences the people, companies, and communities that they serve."

About The National Eagle Leadership Institute®
The National Eagle Leadership Institute® (NELI) is a premier leadership development resource for African-American and Latino professionals and college students. Our mission is the help you lead.  NELI was launched in 1995 in response to corporate America's increasing focus on leadership and diversity in the workplace. The Institute provides strategies to recognize, recruit, and retain trusted, empowered, and admired leaders. The first Eagle Awards were presented by CareerFOCUS Magazine in 1993 at the Mansion on O Street in Washington, DC.  It was an intimate luncheon of only 35 guests.  Today, the CareerFOCUS Eagle Awards Gala is one of the leading recognition platforms in corporate America.

About the Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of K-12 education through its educational Web site, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence.  In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since Verizon's inception in 2000.

For more information on the foundation, visit 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 nearly 71 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 employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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