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Kids Benefit Musically as Verizon Makes a Contribution to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation
Verizon Donates $5,000 and Three Guitars Signed by Latino Celebrities at Billboard Latin Music Conference & Awards in Miami
New York (Billboard Publicity Wire) April 28, 2007 -- To help restore music programs in the nation's public schools, Verizon donated $5,000 to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation and donated for auction by the organization three acoustic guitars autographed by some of today's hottest Latino celebrities, including Don Omar, Lupillo Rivera, Los Horóscopos de Durango and other artists.
"We are so thankful to Verizon for their support," said Paul Cothran, the foundation's executive director. "Their generosity will allow us to help more students receive a complete education filled with music."
As a sponsor of the Billboard Latin Music Conference & Awards, held in Miami this week, Verizon is committed to education, celebrating Latin achievements and bridging the technology gap with its customers through an array of broadband entertainment products and services.
Leila Cobo, Billboard's executive director of content and programming for Latin music and entertainment, said, "We're thrilled that Verizon is adding a philanthropic element to this year's Billboard Latin Music Conference & Awards. Billboard is a strong supporter of music education programs, and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation is perfectly aligned with our ongoing efforts."
VH1 Save The Music is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in America's public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as a part of each child's complete education.
Jeff McFarland, director of multicultural marketing for Verizon said, "As a strong supporter of education and the Latino community, we thought it made sense to bring together the VH1 Save The Music Foundation and the Billboard Latin Music Conference & Awards. This is a great way to celebrate the contributions of Latino music and raise awareness of the importance of a good education."
Research has shown that musical study develops critical thinking and self- discipline skills and improves a child's early cognitive development, basic math and literacy rates. Research also indicates that children involved with music education are more likely to graduate from high school and a higher learning institution.
The acoustic guitars will be auctioned on the VH1 Save The Music Foundation Web site www.vh1auctions.com from May 4-15. Verizon has been a strong supporter of the Hispanic community and recently joined the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and Scholastic Inc. to launch Lee y Serás (Read and You Will Be), a national Latino early literacy initiative that engages parents and communities in the literacy development of their children. Since 2004, the Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, has provided more than $24 million to programs and organizations that support the Hispanic community. For more information about Verizon in Spanish, visit www.verizon.com/noticias, www.verizon.com/espanol, or www.verizon.com/fiosespanol.
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 59 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which operates one of the most expansive wholly owned global IP networks, and Verizon Telecom, which is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 242,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
Verizon's online news center: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.
About VH1 Save The Music Foundation
Since 1997, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has successfully restored and sustained instrumental music programs in 1,400 public schools in 80 communities across the country, including Memphis, Houston, Chicago, New York, Denver, Baltimore and Milwaukee. Over the past ten years, various artists and celebrities have shown their devotion to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation by partnering with the organization as they've reached out to struggling school districts across the country. Celebrities including Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Sting, Billy Joel, Kiefer Sutherland, John Legend, Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, and Jewel have donated their time and efforts to the organization in attempts to raise awareness about the importance of music in a child's education.
To date, The Foundation has provided more than $34 million in new musical instruments, affecting the lives of more than 800,000 children. For more information on the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, please visit http://www.vh1.com/partners/save_the_music/
About Billboard
Now in its 112th year, Billboard is the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events and brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends. Billboard is the flagship property for the Billboard Information Group, which also consists of Billboard.biz, Billboard.com, Billboard Chart Alert, Billboard Information Network (BIN), Billboard Directories, Billboard Books, Billboard Licensing & Events and Radio & Records. Billboard's many strategic partners include Microsoft, Reuters, Sirius Satellite Radio, Telemundo, Univision Radio, ABC Radio Networks, Azteca America and Billboard sister companies Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. These partnerships leverage Billboard's proprietary data, charts and information resources to develop broadcast entertainment, digital and mobile platforms and contextual commerce applications that expand Billboard's franchise and consumer reach.
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