[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       VERIZON TACKLES ILLITERACY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN A. BOEHNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2002

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the efforts of Verizon, 
its employees and its spokespeople who are working to tackle the 
problem of illiteracy. Last week, the House Education and the Workforce 
Subcommittee on Education Reform held a hearing on ``Literacy 
Partnerships that Work.'' The hearing featured actor James Earl Jones 
and Verizon President and Chief Executive Officer Ivan Seidenberg, 
testifying on Verizon's efforts to improve literacy in America.
  Describing his lifelong love of reading, Verizon spokesman and actor 
James Earl Jones remarked on how, ``All of us--lawmakers, reading 
teachers and tutors, corporate philanthropists, educators, and literacy 
volunteers--all of us have an important and necessary role addressing 
this issue.''
  Testifying about his company's involvement in literacy efforts, Ivan 
Seidenberg, the President and CEO of Verizon, described how his 
company's mission is ``highly focused.''
  ``We work to raise public awareness, create partnerships, and 
generate financial support for local and national literacy 
organizations so they can do their jobs more effectively. To use a 
communications metaphor, we believe that--through our scale, scope, and 
technology--we can increase the `bandwidth' of the system and enable 
more learning to be delivered to more people, more effectively,'' he 
said.
  For Verizon there is a strategic link between literacy and the future 
business success of the nation's largest communications company with 
upwards of 240,000 employees in technically demanding jobs.
  However, it's more than just for their future employees.
  ``Verizon's communications networks comprise a unique platform for 
sharing resources and forming partnerships,'' Seidenberg said. 
``Verizon's enormously committed employees and retirees have a long 
heritage of volunteerism and community involvement. And more than a 
decade's worth of commitment to the issue of literacy has given the 
company both the knowledge and the relationships with the literacy 
community to be effective.''
  Also attending the Hearing as Verizon Literacy Champions were CBS 
Sportscaster Dick Enberg, Mike Kohn, 2002 Olympic Bronze Medal Bobsled 
Athlete, Chris Thorpe 2002 Olympic Bronze Medal Luge Athlete and Lee 
Ann Parsley, a resident from the great state of Ohio, the 2002 Olympic 
Silver Medal winner in the Women's Skeleton competition.
  All of these distinguished celebrities attended to demonstrate their 
great commitment, as well as Verizon's commitment, to providing 
positive role models in the fight for literacy. Mr. Jones, in his 
compelling personal testimony, said that: ``In my family, we say the 
love of reading and book learning is in our bone memory.'' Jones' 
great-great grandparents Brice and Parthenia Connolly, ``passed on 
their love of reading to my great-grandfather, Wyatt, who owned a 
modest library, and encouraged his family to read his books and to 
revere them.''
  Mr. Speaker, this is one of the legacies we hope to leave with H.R. 
1--``The No Child Left Behind Act''--to build reading and book learning 
into the bone memory of all Americans. In these days when there is so 
much talk about Corporate Accountability, it is a pleasure to recognize 
Verizon for the positive work they are doing to help the citizens of 
our Country.

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