Verizon Wireless Helps Domestic Violence Victims in Communities Across the Country

BEDMINSTER, NJ — As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Verizon Wireless is highlighting several recent HopeLine^SM program efforts in communities across the country. Through its national HopeLine program, Verizon Wireless has facilitated numerous educational and life-saving programs and activities to help victims of domestic violence in local communities.

"As a company that takes pride in working to offer wireless service to every community across the U.S., it's important that we give back to those communities by reaching out to those in need," said Denny Strigl, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless. "For almost 10 years, our HopeLine program has utilized the financial, technological and creative corporate resources at Verizon Wireless to create special domestic violence awareness and prevention programs that cater to the specific needs of individual cities, towns and neighborhoods."

Across the country, Verizon Wireless has joined forces with local schools, government officials and businesses to hold HopeLine phone collection drives, generating funds that were donated to domestic violence charities located in each community. The funds were used mainly to purchase wireless phones with airtime, which were distributed to victims by domestic violence shelters and government emergency responders. Wireless phones, which have been distributed as part of HopeLine since 2001, have proven to be literal lifelines for victims in emergency situations.

In addition, the company has created educational videos, posters and other materials to raise awareness of the domestic violence issue. Recently in the Midwest, an hour-long video program titled "None of Our Business" was created to increase awareness of domestic violence in the workplace. Workshops and seminars, including one titled "Invest in Yourself," in which domestic violence victims in Maryland were given workplace and interview training, makeovers, and voicemail boxes, all to help them begin a successful job search were put in place to help the local community.

[Editor's note: a listing of the regional programs, organized by state, is available below.]

For more information about HopeLine, or to find out how to host a phone recycling drive in your neighborhood, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 40.4 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To receive broadcast-quality video footage of Verizon Wireless operations, log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/verizonwireless.  

About HopeLine
The Verizon Wireless HopeLine program collects phones of any wireless carrier and refurbishes or recycles them with all proceeds benefiting victims of domestic violence. The environmentally friendly HopeLine Program puts wireless services and equipment to work to assist victims in emergency domestic violence situations. Donations are accepted at all 1,200-plus Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country. For additional information, customers can also visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

Domestic Violence Awareness Month Activities by State

Verizon Wireless is committed through its HopeLine program to putting wireless products and services to work to combat domestic violence. The HopeLine phone recycling program collects no-longer-used wireless phones and refurbishes, recycles or sells them with all proceeds benefiting domestic violence victims. Since 2001, the company donated more than $7.9 million and collected more than 2 million wireless phones to raise funds for domestic violence victims and advocacy organizations. In recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, following is a partial listing of recent programs and activities the company sponsored across the nation.

Alabama
The Verizon Wireless Clothesline Project, in partnership with the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence and shelters statewide, is traveling across Alabama during the month of October in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Designed to promote social change, the Clothesline Project is an art exhibit created by domestic violence survivors. In each city, survivors are encouraged to express themselves through art created on t-shirts as their blank canvas. These t-shirts are then displayed on a clothesline exhibit for all to experience.

Arizona
Fans attending the Diamondbacks baseball game on August 21 donated more than 1,000 used wireless phones and accessories to benefit victims of domestic violence. For every phone donated at the game, Verizon Wireless donated $5 to Chrysalis, an agency dedicated to transforming lives affected by domestic abuse through safety, support and education.

California
Verizon Wireless illustrated how technology can help the community with a donation of six BroadbandAccess cards with two years free service to the Domestic Violence Unit of the Los Angeles City Attorney's office. BroadbandAccess offers high-speed, wireless Internet access. In addition, the company donated 300 pre-paid HopeLine phones to the Los Angeles Mayor's Office for distribution to battered women's shelters in the city, and kicked off a collection drive in more than 100 city fire stations. More than $185,000 in grants was awarded to area domestic violence advocacy organizations.

Colorado
Verizon Wireless teamed up with the University of Colorado at Boulder to hold a phone collection drive at the Buffalos football game on October 9.

Connecticut
Verizon Wireless donated 25 wireless phones and phone service to YWCA of Greenwich Domestic Abuse Services. The company also donated 20 wireless phones to Torrington's Susan B. Anthony Project, a domestic violence shelter and resource center.

Florida
Verizon Wireless partnered with Hubbard House, Duval County's largest shelter for survivors of domestic violence, to educate business executives about domestic violence issues at the Corporate Summit on Domestic Violence in Jacksonville. Also, a phone drive coordinated with students at Big Cypress Elementary School in Naples collected hundreds of wireless phones to help domestic violence awareness and prevention efforts in Southwest Florida. Additionally, the Clothesline Project traveled through the state of Florida to illustrate the effects of domestic violence on victims and their families.

Georgia
Traveling now throughout Georgia in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the Clothesline Project will hit Savannah as part of a 650-mile tour of Georgia.

Illinois
Verizon Wireless and the Illinois Attorney General's office developed a Partner Abuse campaign, in which posters that described signs of non-physical abuse in relationships, and provided a phone number for help, were hung in area high schools.

Indiana
Verizon Wireless made a $10,000 donation to the Julian Center to restore an Art Therapy Program for children affected by domestic violence. The Center's Art Therapy Program had been discontinued for lack of funding since December of last year. With the new funding, the program resumed, and children ages five to 14 began taking classes under the supervision of a licensed art therapist.

Iowa
Verizon Wireless joined with Waypoint Services for Women, Children, and Families in a campaign to raise awareness about teen dating violence. The campaign was launched at Kennedy High School, and featured speakers including school officials, community service workers, and Verizon Wireless representatives who addressed the importance of recognizing the difference between healthy and unhealthy dating relationships.

Kansas
Verizon Wireless sponsored the production of "None of Our Business," a one-hour educational television program created to increase awareness of domestic violence in the workplace, which aired on several television stations. Verizon Wireless provided nearly $40,000 to underwrite the production of the Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) program and associated training DVD, which depicts the impact of domestic violence on the workplace and provides strategies for preventing and addressing this crucial issue in the work setting. The program aired across parts of Minnesota and North Dakota as well. In addition, Verizon Wireless reached out to teenage and elderly victims of domestic violence with educational poster campaigns.

Kentucky
Verizon Wireless sponsored a play about domestic violence, "Cheap Sunglasses," to raise awareness and educate teenagers and adults of its effects. Approximately 1,500 area high school and college students attended the various performances. Additionally, at a VIP performance, the audience made donations to the University of Kentucky's Center for Research on Violence Against Women, and Verizon Wireless matched each contribution with a donation to one of three Kentucky domestic violence agencies.

Louisiana
Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center and Verizon Wireless hosted a wireless phone drive, collecting more than 400 phones.

Maryland
Verizon Wireless partnered with the non-profit Suited for Change to conduct the "Invest in Yourself" seminar offering victims of domestic violence background on the knowledge and skills needed to compete for jobs in today's marketplace. Each participant received information on resumes and interviewing, a Mary Kay makeover, and six months of Verizon Wireless voicemail service, which offers a confidential means to receive and retrieve messages from prospective employers. In addition, the company offered grants totaling $30,000 for non-profit domestic violence advocacy organizations.

Massachusetts
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. teamed up with Verizon Wireless to offer a coupon good for one dozen doughnuts at any Massachusetts Krispy Kreme store for anyone donating a wireless phone at the Verizon Wireless store in Saugus. In addition, the company launched a $1,000 grant program for not-for-profit organizations that work with victims of domestic violence, donated 25 wireless phones to the Domestic Violence Institute at Northeastern University School of Law, which serves more than 100 clients per month, all of whom are contending with domestic violence, and donated 30 wireless phones to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office of Boston.

Minnesota
Through funding from Verizon Wireless, Casa de Esperanza partnered with the West Side Boys and Girls Club in Saint Paul. to develop a teaching tool for use with the recently released short Spanish language film ¡UBÍCATE!. Casa de Esperanza, an organization that aims to mobilize Latinos and their communities to end domestic violence, developed the film to facilitate Latino youth discussion around relationship issues.

Missouri
Verizon Wireless and the Attorney General debuted two partner abuse posters to be distributed throughout Missouri college campuses. The posters will include local telephone numbers for counseling assistance for students.

New Hampshire
A permanent HopeLine collection kiosk was installed at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester for ongoing collections of phones to benefit domestic violence victims.

New Jersey
Verizon Wireless donated more than $1,500 and 232 wireless phones to domestic violence shelters and advocacy organizations including Ocean's Harbor House, the Wharton Police Department and Womanspace.

New York
New York City — New York Metro Region Charles Hand stood side by side with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Singer Michael Bolton, WOR Radio Psychologist Dr. Joy Brown and other leaders to announce the creation of the New York City President's Family Justice Center. Verizon Wireless pledged $100,000 in HopeLine funds to support the center's operations, which allow domestic violence victims access to services.

New York State — A HopeLine phone collection drive at a Buffalo Bills game generated more than 670 phones. Buffalo Bills linebacker London Fletcher has made in-store appearances on behalf of HopeLine, and a total of $10,000 was awarded to local domestic violence advocacy organizations.

North Carolina
In conjunction with the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV), Verizon Wireless partnered with the Silent Witness National Initiative program during the month of October to promote peace, healing, and responsibility in adult relationships in order to eliminate domestic violence homicides by the year 2010. Two Verizon Wireless retail stores in Raleigh-Durham will display the traveling memorial honoring women and children who were murdered in North Carolina as a result of domestic violence.

North Dakota
Verizon Wireless donated $6,000 to the Abused Adult Resource Center in Bismarck, ND as part of a luncheon program focusing on the "None Of Our Business" campaign.

Ohio
The State of Ohio joined forces with Verizon Wireless in an effort to put used wireless phones to good use in helping victims of domestic violence. Various state agencies, county sheriffs offices, local police departments and domestic violence shelters served as collection points for individuals to donate used wireless phones to HopeLine.

Pennsylvania
Verizon Wireless funded several creative initiatives aimed at improving the lives of domestic violence victims in shelters across Pennsylvania. SafeNet Peace by Piece is a project in which a stained glass "quilt" is made up of panes designed by domestic violence victims. Books Make It Better is a literacy program geared toward children served by Womansplace domestic violence center. PFA (Protection From Abuse) Video-Conferencing in Pittsburgh-area hospitals enables hospital personnel to assist victims in filing for emergency protection orders on-site.

South Carolina
Verizon Wireless and Citizens Against Spouse Abuse (CASA) brought the nationally renowned "An Empty Place at the Table" art exhibit to the Myrtle Beach area to demonstrate the devastating effects of violence and help ensure that these victims are not forgotten.

South Dakota
Verizon Wireless donated $1,500 to Crisis Intervention Shelter Services in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Tennessee
Verizon Wireless is a statewide sponsor of "Andrea Walks for Tennessee's Children," a first-ever collaboration with the Office of the First Lady of Tennessee, You Have the Power, Tennessee Chapter of Children's Advocacy Centers and 25 local Child Advocacy Centers. The First Lady will walk over 650 miles between Advocacy Centers across the state to generate awareness and raise needed funds. The Walk, designed to generate awareness about the serious issues of child sexual abuse and domestic violence, began in Memphis on September 8, 2004, and will conclude in Johnson City in the spring of 2005. In addition, Verizon Wireless and FedEx Corporation announced a company and community-wide phone drive in Memphis. For every phone donated to the HopeLine program during the drive, Verizon Wireless donated $5 to Domestic Violence, Inc. of DeSoto County and Grace House of Memphis.

Texas
In 2004, Verizon Wireless provided a $10,000 HopeLine grant to the Houston Area Women's Center (HAWC) for the purpose of producing a calendar to raise awareness of domestic violence. The calendar, which featured artwork by children living at the shelter, was sold in the Houston area and all proceeds from the sale of the calendars went to the HAWC.

Washington
Verizon Wireless teamed up with the Seattle Mariners to collect used wireless phones at the July 21 baseball game.

Wisconsin
In an unprecedented collaboration with Milwaukee-area high schools, local domestic violence agencies and business organizations, Verizon Wireless sponsored a series of community presentations to teach teens, parents and educators about the signs of abusive dating relationships. The presentations featured Dr. Jill Murray, a nationally known expert in the field of teen dating violence. They are part of a multi-faceted public awareness campaign called "Dating Shouldn't Hurt," launched last month in Milwaukee. Already, free posters from Verizon Wireless illustrating verbal statements that often can precede physical or sexual abuse have been displayed in area high schools.

Wyoming
Verizon Wireless and the University of Wyoming collected used wireless phones at the Cowboys football game on Saturday, October 9.

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