2007 Press Releases

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January 25, 2007
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network Receives Verizon Grant for Pediatric Initiative
$15,000 Grant Will Be Used for Early Literacy Technology Intervention Program

Allentown—Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network recently received a $15,000 grant from Verizon’s “Check Into Literacy” program for its Early Literacy Technology Interventions (ELTI) program, which is an ongoing reading readiness and learning disabilities program that relies on assistive technology.

The “Check Into Literacy” program allows Verizon’s landline telephone customers to support literacy by checking a box on their monthly phone bills to make a $1 tax-deductible donation to promote literacy throughout the United States. Verizon then distributes these donations to local literacy organizations that serve the state where customers live.

Each year, the ELTI program teaches pre-literacy skills and reading to about 400 children ages 4 to 10 with developmental disabilities. The ELTI program cooperates with the schools to identify children with disabilities, formulate literacy curricula and build reading skill cross-collaboration with teachers and parents. Children diagnosed with cognitive lapses caused by early autism, Down syndrome, mild retardation, brain injury, cerebral palsy and various muscular dystrophies are evaluated and matched with assistive technology to help them recognize objects, learn the alphabet, understand phonics, learn words and sentence structure and read. The assistive technology used by the program includes interactive computers with touch screens, high capacity PCs and pre-literacy, learning and reading software. The grant from Verizon will allow Good Shepherd’s ELTI program to serve more children.

“Verizon is happy to partner with Good Shepherd in its efforts to enhance literacy education for youth,” said Daniel J. Reavy, director, External Affairs, Verizon Pennsylvania. “Verizon customers who participate in this program show how much they care about our communities through their donations, and we applaud them for it.”

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network is a nationally recognized rehabilitation leader, offering a continuum of care for people with physical and cognitive disabilities and specializing in assistive and rehabilitation technology. More than 35,000 people come to Good Shepherd each year for specialized programs in stroke, orthopedics, brain injury, spinal cord injury, pediatrics, amputation and more. Good Shepherd provides rehabilitation services at 30 sites in 7 eastern Pennsylvania counties. In addition, Good Shepherd operates 14 outpatient sites, 4 inpatient sites, a long-term acute care hospital, 2 long-term care homes for people with disabilities, an independent living facility, a Work Services division that provides employment training and job placement and a lifestyle products store called Rehability. Good Shepherd was founded in 1908 when The Rev. John and Estella Raker invited a disabled orphan named Viola into their Allentown, Pennsylvania, home. For more information, visit www.goodshepherdrehab.org.