President’s Message
Patrick R. Gaston
President – Verizon Foundation
In the 21st Century, corporations are measured on more than the creation of shareholder value. Corporations today are judged on their merits as employers and on the value they create in communities through the use of their resources to address important social issues.
Verizon is a broadband communications company that connects more than 100 million people to one another and to the world. Our role at the foundation is to connect Verizon's financial, technological and human resources with critical social issues that affect our employees, our customers, our communities and our world.
We focus on the issues of education and literacy, and safety and health. Our work is done through strategic partnerships with nonprofit organizations, through informed grant-making that represents an investment in results, and through the exceptional volunteer spirit of Verizon's 235,000 employees. Our goal is to help people achieve the skills they need to live, learn and work in the 21st Century.
We translate our goal into grant-making that targets student achievement - whether that student is a young child, an adolescent or an adult. Our commitment to lifelong learning is embodied in our signature philanthropic initiative, Thinkfinity.org - our free, comprehensive Web site for education and literacy that serves educators, students, afterschool programs and parents.
We also translate our goal into grant-making that enables people, families to improve their personal safety and health. We are committed to impacting the epidemic issue of domestic violence - through support and services to victims and through education and awareness initiatives that target stopping the violence before it starts. We are equally committed to supporting initiatives that further Internet safety, and that apply technology increase access to healthcare information and services.
As you explore our Web site, you will see examples of our work and our impact on these critical issues. We invest in results, and with each investment we make, we hope to make a meaningful and measurable contribution to positive social change.
