Responsibility Blog

Verizon Foundation President Rose Stuckey Kirk blogs on our $ 1 million matching donation drive to fund American Red Cross relief work for people suffering in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

 

You can help by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

 

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It’s not easy to stand up and do something; it’s even tougher to take action.  However, action is needed to make change and that’s what was discussed at a panel the 2012 CECP Corporate Philanthropy Summit today in New York City.

 

I was joined by senior leaders at Chevron Corporation, Hilton Worldwide and Fenton Communications to discuss the challenging societal issues that our companies each address.  From ending domestic violence to human trafficking and HIV/AIDS, we have all made significant commitments and have made tremendous results over the years.

 

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Verizon's Julie Smith relates the story of James, a boy for whom KidCheck health screening made a world of difference.

 

Stories like James's happen all around Alabama every day when KidCheck health screenings are conducted in rural areas where access to health care can be a challenge. For many of these children, this is their only access to any type of health screenings.

 

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We often say that we work to build long-term value for both Verizon and for society. Nowhere is this more evident than in our support for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and our emphasis on helping underserved schools integrate technology into classrooms.

 

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To support relief efforts to aid communities in the Midwest and Southeast ravaged by tornados and flooding, Verizon Wireless has activated a free emergency mobile giving program that lets customers text $10 donations to certain relief organizations through their mobile phones. The Verizon Foundation also will match employee contributions to the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army through March 30. 

 

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As today marks International Corporate Philanthropy Day, I thought an update on Verizon's philanthropic work was in order. Our focus at the Verizon Foundation is on using our technology to solve critical social issues in the areas of education, health care and energy management. Since 2000, the Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars in our communities, and our employees have donated more than 6.2 million volunteer hours to improve the communities where we work and live. In 2011 alone, the Foundation awarded $66 million in grants to nonprofits across the country and our employees volunteered more than 670,000 hours.

 

 

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Our guest blogger today is Michelle Robinson, South Area Vice President of Government Affairs.

 

To highlight the great work going on at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, we’ve teamed up for a heartwarming fundraiser this holiday season. For each viewing of their “Share the Hope” video, the Verizon Foundation will donate a dollar, up to $25,000. The video was shot with one camera, in one hospital — Children's at Scottish Rite — in one day.

 

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about the volunteer program at Verizon called “Tools for Schools.”

 

Now that the program is over for this school year, I thought I’d give you an update on how things went. 

 

In total, Verizon employees provided more than $300,000 through collections and donations to help more than 30,000 students return to school with the right tools.

 

 

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The Verizon At Home blog posted an entry yesterday outlining Verizon's plan to make calling Japan free for the next month as well as free text messages from Verizon Wireless phones.

 

Today, the Verizon Foundation has activated its Disaster Relief Incentive Program and will match donations from U.S.-based Verizon employees of $25 or more, up to a total of $1,000 per employee, per year.  This employee campaign will run through March 25. The Foundation will match donations to three designated disaster-relief agencies: the American Red Cross, World Vision and Save the Children.

 

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My mother spent a mind-boggling 24 years—from the age of 26 when her first child entered first grade to the age of 50 when her eighth child graduated from high school—ensuring that her children were awake, fed, dressed and at school every day ready to perform.  

 

The education debate rages on, and in its midst, new views and old philosophies abound as to true reform. . .

 

 

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First, you engage with your heart; then your mind is provoked; suddenly outrage erupts. Once the emotions subside, you ask, “how did it come to this and what can I do to help?”

 

At least that’s how I’ve felt this week as I listened to, and engaged, in debates and dialogue surrounding the buzz coming from our Nation’s Capital and elsewhere on education reform.

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Those who regularly read this blog know I often write about technology as a valuable tool to help teachers inspire and excite their students about education.

Of course, technology is only part of the equation needed to ensure children are given the best opportunity to succeed in the classroom. Great teachers and active, involved parents play the largest role.

Then, there is the more simple tactile tools needed everyday in the classroom, such as crayons, notebooks, rulers and backpacks. And I’m happy to say, thanks to the generosity of Verizon employees and the public, more than 250 schools throughout the country have received a total of $300,000 worth of supplies to start the school year.

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This week we have a guest blogger to the Responsibility Blog. 

  

Jayne Mayer is Director of Employee Engagement at the Verizon Foundation.  In her job, she encourages people to volunteer for something they love.  In communities across America, Verizon employees are volunteering their time and providing financial support to thousands of nonprofits that affect hundreds of important social and community issues.

 

This week she just wants to say, "Thanks."

 

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This week we have a guest blogger to the Responsibility Blog. 

 

B. Keith Fulton, vice president of Verizon Virginia, is responsible for developing and executing Verizon’s external affairs and legislative strategies in Virginia.

 

On July 23-24 the University of Virginia held a clinic at which more than 3,000 uninsured patients were seen.  That alone is impressive, but perhaps more impressive, is that the clinic was held in Wise, a remote community in southwest Virginia where access to health care is a specific challenge for many residents.

 

Of the 3,000 patients who saw medical practitioners that day, more than 1,000 were screened, treated and referred for follow-up care at UVA medical facilities. 

 

 

How was Verizon involved? 

 

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Verizon’s Senior Vice President – Corporate Responsibility Kathy Brown recently talked about Verizon’s commitment to being a good corporate citizen.

 

We’ve captured Kathy’s thoughts on our approach to corporate responsibility in six short videos that I’ll be posting over the next few weeks. 

 

This week:  Telling Our Story. . .

 

 

 

 

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Verizon’s Senior Vice President – Corporate Responsibility Kathy Brown recently talked about Verizon’s commitment to being a good corporate citizen.

 

We’ve captured Kathy’s thoughts on our approach to corporate responsibility in six short videos that I’ll be posting over the next few weeks. 

 

This week:  The Importance of Philanthropy. . .

 

 

 

 

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(This post also can be found on our policy blog)

 

My colleagues, Jackie Ruff, Leslie Martinkovics and I,  with an able assist from Lindsay McQuaid of the Verizon Foundation, have just returned from Uganda where Verizon co-sponsored with the Internet Society (ISOC), the Uganda Communications Commission and the Uganda Martyrs University, a highly successful Symposium on ICT for Higher Education in East Africa . 

 

My opening remarks are attached below.  Read more about the symposium . . .

 

 

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Verizon’s Senior Vice President – Corporate Responsibility Kathy Brown recently talked about Verizon’s commitment to being a good corporate citizen.

 

We’ve captured Kathy’s thoughts on our approach to corporate responsibility in six short videos that I’ll be posting over the next few weeks. 

 

This week:  Why it matters to consumers. . .

 

 

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Ms. Cohen gives us high marks for showing the consistency of Verizon’s commitment in our reporting and providing “strong demonstration of corporate responsibility and significant year on year progress.”

 

The challenge: To focus more on outcomes, adding data which would give greater scale and context to our performance.

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I’ve just attended the premiere screening for a documentary made in cooperation with PBS and Penn State that will air this summer.  The documentary is called “Telling Amy’s Story” and it chronicles the life and death of a domestic violence victim in Pennsylvania.

 

You can go to YouTube and see the trailer for the film.  I suggest you take three minutes and do that, then pass this along to anyone you know that can help spread the word that domestic violence is everyone’s business and we can all learn from Amy’s Story.

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I recently attended a gathering hosted by the Montgomery County Family Justice Center Foundation and Family Justice Center.  The invitation called it a “rare opportunity” to hear from National Family Justice Alliance President and Co-Founder, Casey Gwinn.   The evening, as it turns out, was a rare privilege ...

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We're finding that engaging people so they understand our corporate responsibility approach-including sharing our results and challenges with them-is having a positive impact on our reputation.

The latest indication is our being named for the third year in a row to the list of "100 Best Corporate Citizens" by Corporate Responsibility magazine this week.

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Last week I had the opportunity to take part in a fantastic event - the unveiling of the NAACP Interactive Historical Timeline.

The timeline is a unique, engaging educational tool that brings the stories of the NAACP's history and the civil rights movement to life through words, pictures and video.

From information on W.E.B. Du Bois and the founding of the NAACP to the election of Barack Obama, the NAACP Historical Timeline will be an ever growing source of valuable information for students, teachers and parents.

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Last month, I encouraged readers to join Verizon employees and our partners in the annual Season's Readings campaign. Today, I'm writing to say thank you.

Thanks to your generosity and the giving spirit of our Verizon employees, 109,000 children's books have been collected and will be given to more than 350 schools and nonprofit organizations across the country.

That means that thousands of children across the country will have access to the age-appropriate books necessary to build the fundamental reading skills essential to learning.

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Each day 8 million school children take part in afterschool programs. Another 18 million children would participate if additional afterschool programs were available, according to the "America After 3 p.m. Study," a recent study by the Afterschool Alliance. With both parents of many children working, afterschool programs are tremendously important because they are safe places where children can do homework, take part in social activities, and learn. Read more...

Is someone in your family coping with vision loss, or Diabetes, or both? Currently more than 3 million Americans are, and now there’s a new free online resource that can help. Today, the American Foundation for the Blind will unveil its updated AFB Senior Site, including a comprehensive Diabetes guide which includes a host of free materials to help senior citizens stay active, eat sensibly and independently manage medications. Read more...

Domestic violence, has no zip code, knows no education level or gender. Yet, for too long it has been thought of as solely a women's issue. Statistics show, that's simply not true. One-fifth of full-time employed adults are or have been victims of domestic violence (of those 65 percent are female; 35 percent male), according to the Corporate Alliance to End Domestic Violence

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