Verizon and Communities In Schools of North Carolina K'NEX Students to STEM Learning Opportunities

RALEIGH, NC, February 27, 2014 (Press-News.org) A $20,000 Verizon Foundation investment in Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) is bringing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning to life for students across the state and enhancing outcomes for youth.

Research shows that both women and minorities are underrepresented in STEM related career fields. The Verizon Foundation and Communities In Schools (CIS) are working together to increase access to STEM learning by training local CIS staff to implement STEM learning opportunities both in schools to aid local school systems and in out of school time to reach more students and change their attitudes toward STEM careers.

Students engaged in STEM learning are more likely to graduate from high school based on a report from the Afterschool Alliance. Verizon's investment is making it possible for 20 CIS sites to train staff using a new STEM minute training series and to obtain supplies to provide students with hands on experiences with projects like building amusement park rides, creating circuit boards, generating electricity, building and launching rockets and creating solar projects that produce renewable energy.

"The impact of STEM projects on our students cannot be undervalued," said Eric Hall, President of CISNC. "CIS staff is now in a position to expose students to teaching moments that may be a catalyst for bright young minds to envision a different kind of future for themselves."

Editor Note: Today, February 25, 2014 at 4 p.m. Verizon will present a check to Communities In Schools of North Carolina at the Mayview Learning Center located at 1103 Parker Street, Raleigh, NC 27607. Children in the afterschool setting will be working with STEM kits.

For more information about Communities In Schools of North Carolina, visit http://www.cisnc.org or call 919-832-2700.

About Communities In Schools of North Carolina
Communities In Schools of North Carolina, state headquarters for the Communities in Schools network in North Carolina, is a part of the national Communities In Schools network - the leading dropout prevention organization in the country. Currently, Communities In Schools of NC provides assistance to 37 local affiliates serving 44 North Carolina counties. In turn, these affiliates connect students and families to the community resources they need. Affiliates provide students with a one-to-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, a healthy start and future, a marketable skill to use upon graduation and a chance to give back to peers and the community. The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. For more information, visit http://www.cisnc.org.

About The Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation is focused on accelerating social change by using the company's innovative technology to help solve pressing problems in education, health care and energy management. Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live. Verizon's employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.2 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities. For more information about Verizon's philanthropic work, visit http://www.verizonfoundation.org; or for regular updates, visit the Foundation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/theverizonfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/verizongiving).

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 96 million retail customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 184,500. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com.