SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Mission Language & Vocational School has received a $20,000 grant from Verizon for continued support of the school’s language and computer literacy classes for San Francisco Latinos and other minorities who have limited proficiency in English. The grant brings to $60,000 the funding that the school has received from Verizon since 2007 to support literacy programs.
Rosario Anaya, MLVS’ executive director, said: “To successfully educate our children, we must also provide training for parents so that they can secure stable employment and have time to dedicate to their children. With the support of this grant, the Verizon Foundation is helping MLVS achieve this goal by serving as a pipeline to vocational training programs in high-growth sectors such as health care and technology.”
Support services such as career counseling, job placement assistance and other referral services are an integral part of MLVS’ programs. MLVS strives to empower underserved populations and improve the community through social, economic and educational advancements.
Elva Lima, Verizon vice president, strategic programs, said: “As advancements in technology and science continue to transform so many aspects of our society, it is essential that we have a trained and skilled workforce, not only so that we remain competitive in the global market place, but also to ensure we build prosperous and sustainable communities at home.”
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational Web site, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2008, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $68 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $26 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. 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 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.