Verizon Wireless Donates $2,500 To Support Minnesota Domestic Violence Crisis Line

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Verizon Wireless, known for its corporate leadership in the fight to end domestic violence, today announced a $2,500 donation to the Minnesota Domestic Violence Crisis Line. The money will cover the cost of all printed materials used to promote a statewide number designed to help connect domestic violence victims with available shelter space.

The Crisis Line is associated with the Day One partnership of 21 domestic violence shelters in Minnesota. Victims can call a statewide number and be immediately connected to a shelter nearest their calling location.

Verizon Wireless' new store, located at the Swiss Highland Center, features a variety of products and services, including the company's popular all-inclusive SingleRate service and a premier line of digital wireless phones, data products and accessories. The staff of trained professionals at the store can assist individuals in selecting equipment, making decisions on calling plans or setting up Mobile Web service.

"We are a company with a new name in the community, but a long history of commitment to domestic violence awareness and prevention," said Rich Garwood, president for Verizon Wireless in the Midwest region. "Throughout the nation, Verizon Wireless puts wireless phones in the hands of victims to ensure their safety and assist them on the road to recovery. By helping get the word out about the Minnesota Domestic Violence Crisis Line, we hope that victims of domestic violence will find security in knowing that help is only a phone call away."

Last month, Verizon Wireless launched a national poster campaign as part of its participation in the Corporate Citizenship Initiative (CCI) on Domestic Violence, the first-of-its-kind national project that brings together leadership teams that link business, government, labor leaders, victim advocates and state domestic violence coalitions to develop workplace-based programs to stop domestic violence.

The posters are stark, hard-hitting tools that drive home the impact of domestic violence on women and their employers. Verizon Wireless funded the costs of photography and production and supplied the posters to the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), which will provide them to interested employers for a nominal cost-covering fee.

Employers interested in obtaining posters for the workplace may visit the Family Violence Prevention Fund at www.fvpf.org.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 25 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp --now Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) -- and Vodafone Plc (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The new company has a footprint covering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets. Verizon Wireless, headquartered in New York City and Bedminster, NJ, is 30,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company in its Media Center on the Web at: http://www.verizonwireless.com/mediacenter.

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