Recipient of First Annual 'Most Promising Talent Award' to be Honored During
Closing Ceremonies of Russian Film Festival
NEW YORK, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon spokesperson and award-winning
actor James Earl Jones will present the first annual Most Promising Talent
Award to a member of the Russian film industry on Thursday, Oct. 30, during
the closing ceremony of the annual New York Russian Film Festival. Verizon is
a sponsor of this year's festival, held Oct. 23 through Nov. 2. The ceremony
will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Florence Gould Hall at the French
Institute/Alliance Francaise, 55 E. 59th St.
"Verizon values the diversity of our markets, and we are committed to
their importance and growth," said Jill Wagner, Verizon vice president of
consumer marketing. "We reach out to each segment through relevant
in-language and in-culture advertising, marketing programs and grass-roots
community initiatives. The Russian-speaking community enriches life in New
York -- from great music and art to creative entrepreneurs. "
Verizon increased the company's commitment to its Russian-speaking
customers by establishing a Russian language service center in 1997. "Our
goal is to develop a strong relationship with consumers and Russian-American
businesses so that we can better understand the community's needs," said
Wagner.
Lawrence Weinberg, president of Novoye Russkoye Slovo Publishing, which
organized the film festival, said, "Verizon was one of the first American
companies to recognize the significance of Russian-speaking Americans. As the
market has grown, Verizon has been with us every step of the way, supporting
our community and cultural events."
Earlier in the day, Jones will visit the Educational Center for Russian
Jewry to help present a $13,000 grant from Verizon. The grant will fund a
work force development program for Russian-speaking individuals who recently
emigrated from Russia to the metropolitan New York area.
Verizon Foundation last year awarded 22,000 grants totaling more than
$70 million to nonprofit agencies that focus on improving basic and computer
literacy, enriching communities through technology, and creating a skilled
work force. The foundation uses its resources in the United States and abroad
to develop partnerships in technology and connect them with organizations
serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, victims of
domestic violence and the economically and socially disadvantaged. The
foundation also supports Verizon Volunteers, an incentive program that last
year encouraged Verizon employees to volunteer more than 500,000 hours in
their communities and provided $27.8 million in matching gifts to nonprofit
organizations. For more information on the foundation, visit
http://www.verizon.com/foundation.
A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is one of the
world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately
$67 billion in revenues and 221,000 employees. Verizon companies are the
largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United
States, with more than 139 million access line equivalents and 36 million
Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third largest long-distance
carrier for U.S. consumers, with nearly 16 million long-distance lines. The
company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by
directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes
wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in
the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com.
VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches
and biographies, media contacts and other information are available at
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SOURCE Verizon
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Related links:
http://www.verizon.com
http://www.verizon.com/news
http://www.verizon.com/foundation
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html
CONTACT:
Media - Christy Reap, +1-703-351-3114,
creap@Verizon.com, or Daniel Diaz Zapata, +1-212-395-7602,
daniel.d.zapata@Verizon.com, both of Verizon
NOTE TO EDITORS: Reporters and photographers are invited to
attend the event. Cast members and directors from the films
featured in the festival will be available for interviews during
the reception, which begins at 6 p.m.
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