Projects - these are some of our most popular projects

The "Dictionary Project" is to assist all third grade students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing students with their own personal dictionaries. The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come. The dictionaries are personalized for the Pioneers, with both the Pioneer logo and the Verizon logo on the cover, with a tag line reading “Partnering To Build Stronger Communities”.  The back of the book gives a brief description of who the Pioneers are and what we do.  It also includes the website addresses of both the Pioneers and Verizon Foundation.    

Project:Connect features a series of interactive games that span the curriculum in grades 4-7. Each features free classroom-ready internet access, Windows and Mac compatibility, and availability in English and Canadian French. With each, we provide; A student-friendly user guide with built-in instructions on how to play the game; A facilitator guide featuring detailed step-by-step instructional procedures keyed to content learning objectives and national education standards;  A technical glossary and integrated instruction and game simulation approach;  On-screen “gurus” that feature the pioneers of telecommunications technology, providing help students can understand.

Our Smart Bear program has increased reading among youngsters who may not be exposed to reading in their home. Similar to the regular TelecomPioneers Hug-A-Bear, the TelecomPioneers Smart Bear is a great comfort to children in traumatic situations with the added feature of providing a book along with a friend.  TelecomPioneers Smart Bears are ideal for any child from kindergarten through third grade. Many of the recipients of TelecomPioneers Smart Bears are from disadvantaged homes and the bear is a nice way to introduce both the child and the parent/parents to the joys of reading. The child finds a new cuddly friend and reading companion.

TelecomPioneers Hug-A-Bears gives comfort to youngsters who are in traumatic or unfamiliar situations. The TelecomPioneers Hug-A-Bears are donated to public safety, fire, rescue and emergency medical personnel. The bears are carried in the cars and trucks of these agencies so that they are readily available to be given to a child in need. Many police agencies have found that a small child will tell the bear what occurred when they are not comfortable talking directly to an adult.  TelecomPioneers Hug-A-Bears have even been given to the troops of Operation Desert Storm. TelecomPioneers Hug-A-Bears are ideal for any child in a traumatic situation from age one year through age ten.

TelecomPioneers “Heart Pillows” are distributed to local hospitals and are designed to aid patients recovering from heart surgery. Patients are encouraged to cough to release congestion in their lungs. Prior to the Pioneers “Heart Pillow”, hospitals would give patients rolled up blankets to hold against their chests to ease the pain associated with coughing. The rolled up blankets are cumbersome for the patients to handle. The Pioneers “Heart Pillow” is a convenient, attractive and easy to handle remedy for heart patients with congestion.

Verizon provides extra credit for schools...

-          Verizon will donate 5% of your Verizon long distance spending to the school of your choice

-          Call 888 215 5586 to sign up.

-          Have the name, address and phone number of the school available

Talking Book Program
The granddaddy of Pioneer Partnerships

Playground MAP

        
The Pioneer Playground MAP is a multi-colored 20- x 30-foot map of the United States painted on elementary school playgrounds to help the students learn geography. It was introduced at the 1994 Pioneer Annual meeting held in Pittsburgh, PA. and was featured
on the Good Morning America show, which resulted in many telephone calls to Pioneer groups across the country from schools.

This project provides the students with an educational tool to help them learn geography through play. Teachers have said that students learn easier and the learning is long lasting
if the student can actively participate and have fun while learning.

To complete the Pioneer Playground MAP project, six to eight volunteers are needed. The Pioneers provide the template, paint, rollers and brushes. Just connect the dots, paint each state a different color and, suddenly, there is your country in living color! It takes approximately five to seven hours to complete.  A book of facts about each state is provided to the teachers. Several games including a beanbag toss can be played by the students.

To date we have painted approximately 225 Pioneer Playground MAPS in the Wm. J. Denver Chapter area. To volunteer for the Pioneer Playground MAP project please contact Diane Rodger at drodger@wjdenverpioneers.org 

Mapping the Universe - A Solar System

       
Our Mapping the Universe (painting a Solar System on the playground) provides an educational aid for teachers in the teaching of astronomy and the universe. We believe that
a student's desire to learn is enhanced through an interesting learning tool. Our goal is to paint a Solar System on every playground next to the Pioneer Playground MAP, to be used by every student and the local neighborhood.

The Solar System is part of the curriculum for students in grades 3-5.  Planets can be studied in the classroom and then the students can be taken outside to use the Solar System as a visual aid. Flash cards, featuring multiple choice questions about the Solar System, are given to teachers to aid in the teaching and learning process.

In keeping with our focus on education, we believe we have created a project that will increase member participation and promote continuous improvement in the education process of our students.  Also, through our partnership with the PTOs and PTAs, we have involved parents, along with children and teachers, in a Pioneer education project that will help further their children's education.

Please contact Diane Rodger at drodger@wjdenverpioneers.org if you would like to volunteer for this project.

Appalachian Trail Clean-up

      
The Telephone Pioneers have been instrumental in providing a safe environment for thousands of people who walk the Appalachian Trail in the Berkshires. Volunteers led by Al Fenner maintain a four mile stretch of the trail and as anyone who knows New England winters, that can result in a lot of maintenance to keep the trails safe.

Al organizes clean up days twice a year. Soliciting the help of fellow employees and volunteers from the Telephone Pioneers, Al has successfully been able to execute this project over the past ten years. The clean-up takes place in the Spring and again in the Fall. The Spring clean-up is primarily for the clearing of brush and fallen trees along the four mile trek to make it safe for the many hikers along this stretch of the trail.  The Fall clean-up (date not yet set) is used to clear brush as well as repair bridges that 
were built in previous years.

Volunteers of the Telephone Pioneers meet at the Friendly’s in Lee, Massachusetts, as they have done for the past ten years. Everyone is asked to bring rakes, gloves, shovels and saws. Al conducts a safety review in the use of the tools and the terrain prior to beginning the project.

Al then leads the group to the starting point of the trail. From there, groups of two or more volunteers are led to various sections along the trail to clear brush, downed trees and repair the 200-foot bridge constructed several years ago in collaboration with the Appalachian Mountain Club. This bridge provides a safe way to traverse a large stream which runs along the trail. This gives the person clearing the trail a hikers perspective, thereby making sure the trail is clear and safe. Lunch is provided, as always, to say thank you to the volunteers.

Al’s dedication to this project has resulted in a safe environment for the literally thousands of hikers who come to enjoy the Appalachian Trail in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. It has also provided an opportunity for volunteers of Verizon to make a positive impact in the community in which they live and work. One positive result is that in the ten years of doing this clean-up, there have been no accidents other than some blistered hands and tired feet.

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