3.31.2008 - 06:04am ET

(CSRwire) LOUISVILLE, KY – March 31, 2008 - The Boston Digital Bridge Foundation's Technology Goes Home @ School Program at the Lilla G. Frederick Middle School has been selected as the national winner of the Second Annual Verizon Tech Savvy Awards.

Through the Technology Goes Home program, Boston public school teachers provide computer and technology training to students and their parents afterschool or on weekends.

Since its inception in 1999, more than 3,500 families in Boston have completed the 25 hours of training. The Frederick Middle School, in collaboration with the Digital Bridge Foundation will have trained over 200 families this year.

"We have found that Tech Goes Home not only provides families with the opportunity to obtain 21st century skills, but also increases family engagement," said Deb Socia, principal of Frederick Middle School. "We find that increased parental involvement leads to increased academic success for the children."

As the National Verizon Tech Savvy Award winner, the Technology Goes Home program at Frederick Middle School will receive a $25,000 award to continue and expand its program.

The school will receive its award Monday evening (March 31) at a banquet at the 17th annual National Conference on Family Literacy, hosted by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), in Louisville, Ky.

The Verizon Tech Savvy Awards are a joint creation of NCFL, former First Lady of Iowa Christie Vilsack and the Verizon Foundation. It is the first national award designed to provide an incentive for grassroots, community-based nonprofit organizations and schools to create programs that demystify technology for parents, enabling them to better guide their children in the use of new media.

"For a parent to be actively involved in their child's education, they must have basic computer skills," said Vilsack. "A program, such as Technology Goes Home, is a stellar example of how teachers, parents and students can work together to improve student achievement."

In addition to the national winner, four other programs will be recognized as regional winners and each will receive a $5,000 grant. The regional winners are:

Santa Barbara Partners in Education's Computers for Families program in Santa Barbara, Calif., which increases tech familiarity by introducing computers with Internet access to fourth-grade students and their families in 30 schools. Students are assigned technology-based homework and share what they learn in school with their parents.

"To truly improve literacy and education for the 21st century, learning must stretch beyond the classroom and into community programs and homes," said Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston. "These programs all highlight how technology can be a valuable tool in enhancing educational opportunities for students and their parents."

In addition to the Verizon Tech Savvy Awards presentation, those attending the banquet will be treated to a live mystery literary caper that integrates real-world literacy experts and their virtual avatar counterparts. Led by CBS national correspondent Byron Pitts and Verizon Business Chief Information Officer Judy Spitz, the virtual scavenger hunt will allow conference attendees to search for clues to answer a series of riddles that lead to the discovery of a fictitious lost collection of Ernest Hemingway’s original works. With the help of Pitts and Spitz, attendees will scour through the social media Web site secondlife.com and educational Web site Thinkfinity.org, and learn how both are applicable to students in learning environments today.

Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's free, comprehensive program and online portal to 55,000 educational and literacy resources for teachers, parents, students and community programs. Resources include standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans and engaging interactive activities provided in partnership with many of the nation's leading education and literacy organizations. Thinkfinity.org also includes the Thinkfinity Literacy Network, which includes research and evidence-based resources and practices for literacy for child and adult learners.

"We take for granted that children today are digital natives, but in reality, they are being prepared for the future by their parents, their teachers and their community leaders -- many of whom are digital immigrants," said Sharon Darling, president & founder of NCFL. "That's why this award and the resources provided by Thinkfinity.org are so important."

Details of the programs honored at the Verizon Tech Savvy Awards will be added to the Thinkfinity Literacy Network to serve as an educational resource, highlighting best practices and approaches for technology literacy for people of all ages.

Those resources can be accessed online at www.thinkfinity.org/literacynetwork.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its signature program, 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.

The National Center for Family Literacy is the worldwide leader in family literacy. More than 1 million families have made positive educational and economic gains as a result of NCFL's work, which includes training more than 150,000 teachers and thousands of volunteers. For more information, contact 1-877-FAMLIT-1 or visit www.famlit.org.

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 66 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 nearly 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit 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.

For more information please contact:

Brian Malina
Verizon
908-698-3930

Carla Blanton
National Center for Family Literacy
859-608-4850

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