InsideOut, a documentary developed by The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, allows students to see firsthand the importance of the choices they make. InsideOut exposes the real story of the devastating and lasting effects of dropping out of school, told by those who live with the consequences every day: prison inmates.

"After seeing the documentary and hearing the emotional messages from these inmates, Verizon Wireless knew that we wanted to bring this powerful illustration of the importance of staying in school to students in St. Louis," said Justin Stiehr, Director of Marketing for the Kansas/Missouri Region of Verizon Wireless.

InsideOut has been seen in 43 states across the country. "The dropout rate in the U.S. has reached unbelievable proportions, and we have to use creative approaches to reach our youth and encourage them to stay in school. We are grateful to Verizon Wireless and St. Louis Public Schools for helping us further our mission to increase the graduation rate in St. Louis and other communities across the state and nation," said Shelley Stewart, President and Founder of The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation.

"It is essential that we encourage our youth to stay in school and get an education," said Dr. Kelvin Adams, Superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools. "Education is of fundamental importance, and we are excited to partner with The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation and Verizon Wireless to provide students with an opportunity to witness the power of education, and also the likely consequences that await those who make the choice to drop out of school."

InsideOut will start being shown in local schools in the near future.

"Dropping out of school has serious consequences on our youth, families and neighborhoods," said State Representative Jamilah Nasheed. "We are pleased that our students can experience initiatives like InsideOut in order to encourage them to stay in school. Increasing the graduation rate is not only better for the students, but it also helps produce a better educated and skilled workforce for our communities."

To learn more about The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation or to have InsideOut shown in your school or community organization, visit www.mattiecstewart.org.

About The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation

The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the dropout rate. The Foundation was established in honor of Dr. Shelley Stewart's late mother, Mattie C. Stewart, in the summer of 2007 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Its primary corporate partner is o2ideas, Inc., a corporate communications and brand relations firm also based in Birmingham. The mission of the Foundation is to create tools and resources to help educators, community leaders and parents effectively address the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate. The Foundation also partners with America's Promise Alliance, the National Dropout Prevention Center and Communities In Schools. For more information, visit www.mattiecstewart.org.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving 89 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high- resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About St. Louis Public Schools

St. Louis Public Schools provides a world-class education and is nationally recognized as a leader in student achievement and teacher quality. The district provides a quality education for all students in order to enable them to realize their full intellectual potential.

SOURCE The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation

http://www.mattiecstewart.org

    --  Customers can use My Verizon Handset, a free-of-charge service on their
        Mobile Web-enabled handsets to check balances; check minutes, message
        and kilobit (data) usage; make, manage and review payments; view current
        plan and features; change voice mail passwords; locate a Verizon
        Wireless Communications Store near them; and find answers to frequently
        asked questions related to billing, using voice mail, roaming and
        traveling.
    --  Customers can dial *611 + Send (airtime free) from their wireless phones
        or 1-800-922-0204 from any phone, select option 1 and follow the prompts
        to pay their bill by phone. Customers may choose to securely store
        payment information so they can call in each month to quickly and easily
        pay their bills.
    --  Customers can check their balances by dialing #BAL (#225) + Send
        (airtime free) from their wireless phones to hear the details of their
        last five payment transactions, including the dates of payments and
        total balance paid. A text message with current balance information and
        last payment details, including the amount paid and the date the payment
        was received, will automatically be sent to customers' wireless phones.
    --  Customers calling family and friends to wish them a happy Thanksgiving
        don't need to worry about minutes because they can easily check their
        minutes used. To hear information about minutes used, customers can dial
        #MIN (#646) + Send (airtime free) from their wireless phones. Customers
        will also receive a free text message detailing minutes used.

    --  To stay on top of the number of text messages sent and received since
        the beginning of their billing cycle, customers can dial #DATA (#3282) +
        Send (airtime free) from their wireless phones to check data usage.
        Customers will also receive a free text message with usage information.

Customers who have access to a laptop can also manage their accounts online using My Verizon, the company's online account management and customer service tool. My Verizon provides customers with 24/7 online access to all their billing, payment and account-related information and offers customers the ability to view and pay bills online through the company's Green Bill, check account balances, change addresses, track airtime usage, analyze monthly spending trends or change account features. To access and register for My Verizon, visit www.verizonwireless.com/myverizon.

Verizon Wireless technicians work 365 days a year to expand coverage, increase capacity, and enhance the quality of its wireless voice and data network. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $50 billion since it was formed in 2000. In 2008 alone, Verizon Wireless invested $6.5 billion to expand and advance its network.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving 89 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (Nasdaq and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

http://www.verizonwireless.com

    --  Antioch: from the Illinois/Wisconsin border in the north to Kelly Road
        in the south, and from Savage Road in the west to Hunt Club Road in the
        east;
    --  Ingleside: from State Highway 134 in the north to Bonner Road in the
        south, and from Chapel Hill Road in the west to Wilson Road in the east;

    --  Lincolnshire: from Westmoreland Drive in the north to Deerfield Parkway
        in the south, and from State Highway 83 in the west to Milwaukee Avenue
        in the east.

"Together, these network expansions reflect our ongoing commitment to meet the growing needs of our customers and to provide them with the reliable, high-quality service they expect from Verizon Wireless," said T.J. Fox, president-Illinois/Wisconsin Region, Verizon Wireless.

"The value we offer our customers is closely tied to our industry-leading customer retention," Fox said. "Wireless consumers today understand that value is not defined by price alone. A major reason our customers choose Verizon Wireless and stay with us is because we offer the nation's most reliable network."

The new cell sites in Lake County are part of Verizon Wireless' continual effort to expand coverage, increase capacity and enhance the quality of its wireless voice and data network in Illinois and throughout the country. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $50 billion since it was formed--$5.5 billion on average every year--to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. Since the company was formed in 2000, Verizon Wireless has invested $1.2 billion on improvements to its network in Illinois.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving 89 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (Nasdaq and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

http://www.verizonwireless.com

It also expands coverage in Wonder Lake from Tryon Grove Road in the north to Bull Valley Road in the south, and from State Highway 47 in the west to Thompson Road in the east and also in Woodstock from Streit Road in the north to State Highway 176 in the south, and from State Highway 23 in the west to State Highway 47 in the east.

Verizon said that since the company was formed in 2000, it has invested USD1.2bn on improvements to its network in Illinois.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (Nasdaq:VOD)(LSE: VOD).

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