Verizon Wireless and Atlanta Falcons Team Up to Provide a HopeLine for Georgia's Victims of Domestic Violence

ATLANTA, GA — Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, and the Atlanta Falcons are teaming up to help Georgia's victims of domestic violence. Fans attending the final regular season Falcons football game on January 1, 2006 against the Carolina Panthers are invited to donate no-longer-used wireless phones and accessories to benefit victims of domestic violence through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program. Verizon Wireless volunteers will be manning HopeLine drop boxes at all entrance gates prior to the game from 11:00am until the 1:00pm kickoff.

Marking its 10th year in 2005, HopeLine continues to stand out as the leading wireless phone recycling program in the industry. Through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program, used wireless phones, batteries and accessories from any service provider are recycled, or refurbished and sold. Verizon Wireless uses the proceeds to award grants and to donate wireless phones with prepaid airtime to non-profit advocacy agencies and law enforcement agencies to aid survivors of domestic violence.

"Verizon Wireless is thrilled to partner with the Atlanta Falcons to include our HopeLine program as part of the January 1 game," said Jim McGean, regional president for Verizon Wireless. "We encourage Falcons fans to scour their closets or 'junk drawers' and donate their old wireless phones to help us provide a HopeLine to victims of domestic violence, an epidemic that affects one in three American women during their lifetime."

In 2004 alone, HopeLine generated:

• 750,000 phones, donated by customers of all wireless providers;
• 11,000 phones with airtime given to shelters victims;
• $800,000 dollars raised to support domestic violence prevention and awareness programs; and
• 140,000 phones recycled.

Since 2001, Verizon Wireless HopeLine has donated more than $8 million in financial grants, phones and services, including the donation of more than 20,000 wireless phones to agencies for victims' use, and has collected nearly two million wireless phones to raise funds for domestic violence victims and advocacy organizations. Wireless phones and equipment can be donated to the HopeLine program year-round at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store across the country. For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 49.3 million voice and data 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 and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About HopeLine
Verizon Wireless encourages customers who are upgrading their wireless phone to participate in its exclusive HopeLine phone-recycling program. The national HopeLine program distributes previously owned wireless phones to victims of domestic violence, supports non-profit domestic violence advocacy groups and provides an environmentally safe method of recycling phones. Donations are accepted at any Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country. For additional information, customers can also visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

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