SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 19, 2007--The Qwest Foundation today announced a $5,000 grant to the Washington Pavilion's Reading Adventure Camp. The Reading Adventure Camp is a collaborative program between the Washington Pavilion and the Sioux Falls School District. The reading program, designed for kindergarten through fifth grade students, provides children with an interactive opportunity to make a daily text-to-world connection through visual arts, performing arts and science while simultaneously preventing summer reading loss.

"The Washington Pavilion's Reading Adventure Camp is a creative program that helps youngsters maintain their reading skills between school years," said Larry Toll, Qwest president for South Dakota. "This grant provides a unique opportunity for Qwest to make a difference in the lives of South Dakota students."

"We are very thankful to receive the grant money from the Qwest Foundation to help fund the Reading Adventure Camp," said Chris Rossing, director of the Kirby Science Discovery Center at the Washington Pavilion. "Thanks to Qwest, we'll be closer to our goal of offering our services to students in a productive manner that will keep them at the same developmental level as their middle- and upper-classmen peers."

The grant money will be used for teachers and supplies for the summer session of 2007. The program is free to families who qualify - as many as 432 students from eight school sites encompassing 44 different languages can enroll.

About the Qwest Foundation:

The Qwest Foundation's core principle is that investing in people and communities provides lasting value for the future. The Qwest Foundation awards grants to community-based programs that generate high-impact and measurable results, focusing on K through grade 12 education and economic development.

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Copyright Business Wire 2007

Qwest Foundation

Qwest Foundation

The Qwest Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of customers and the communities we serve. It's more than just caring; it's a commitment to making a difference. The Qwest Foundation awards grants that generate high impact and measurable results through community-based programs in the area of pre-K through 12 education. We encourage you to learn more about the Foundation and request funding for your program. Qwest® is a leading provider of voice, video and data services across America and the world. For more than a century, homes and businesses have relied on our dependable dial tone connection. We value the strength and vitality we help bring to the communities where we live, work and play-through tens of thousands of volunteer hours donated by employees and retirees, our foundation contributions and numerous other avenues. In communications and community, our goal is to lead.

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