Verizon Wireless Inc., the nation's largest wireless communications provider, is the beneficiary of the project at the Balarat Outdoor Education Center, a 700-acre facility north of Boulder owned by the school district. A new ranch house will serve as an 1890s-lifestyle learning center for such activities as hand-dipping candles and baking biscuits on a wood-burning stove.

The Verizon donation is the largest contribution to date. "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," says Patrick Emery, Balarat program coordinator.

The wireless provider donates $25,000 annually to the Balarat Scholarship Fund and has contributed more than $90,000 overall to education programs in the past two years. "We hope that supporting programs like Balarat will encourage young people to value our environment and help them develop a love for the outdoors," says Marni Walden, regional president for Verizon Wireless in the Mountain Region