Press Release

DPS And Verizon Wireless Join To Support Balarat

A new cabin that allows students to study the pioneers is being dedicated today by officials from Denver Public Schools and Verizon Wireless at the Balarat Outdoor Education Center.

"Verizon Wireless has made a significant contribution to this project and is by far our largest donor," said Patrick Emery, Balarat program coordinator. "The financial support from Verizon Wireless made it possible for us to completely rebuild the cabin rather than try to renovate it, as we had originally planned."

Verizon Wireless, which donates $25,000 per year to the Balarat Scholarship Fund, has contributed more than $90,000 to the program over the last two years.

"Denver Public Schools appreciates the generous contribution that allows Balarat to improve the quality of the educational experience for students," said Superintendent Bernadette Seick. "This is a wonderful facility that offers a unique experience for Denver students -- Verizon's support will only make it better."

Balarat is a 700-acre Denver Public Schools facility in the foothills northwest of Boulder where students engage in learning about the environment, conservation, and the outdoors. The outdoor center is the central feature of a multi-faceted program that serves students in third-grade, fifth-grade, middle school and high school.

The cabin will be dedicated today by DPS and Verizon officials during a ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"Verizon Wireless is committed to making a positive difference in local communities," said Marni Walden, regional president for Verizon Wireless. "We hope that supporting programs like Balarat will encourage young people to value our environment and help them develop a love for the outdoors."

The new ranch house will serve as the center for such learning activities as making hand-dipped candles and baking biscuits using a wood burning stove. Although the original building was old, it didn't accurately reflect the late 19th century. The new cabin has been built to be more authentic and look more like a home built by Colorado pioneers of the 1890's.

"My students are excited and our staff is excited," said Erik Hurst, a teacher at Balarat for seven years. "The new ranch house lends itself well to what we are trying to accomplish with our fifth-grade students."

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 25 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp. - now Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) - and Vodafone AirTouch Plc (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The new company has a footprint covering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets. Verizon Wireless, headquartered in New York City and Bedminster, NJ, is 30,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company in its Media Center on the Web at: http://www.verizonwireless.com/mediacenter.

For more information, please call Debra Havins, Verizon Wireless, 303-694-8560. The telephone number for the Balarat office is 720-423-3643.