Northport New York Boy Scout Named Verizon Wireless HopeLine Hero

EAST NORTHPORT, NY — Sixteen-year-old Boy Scout Daniel Pucillo today was named a Verizon Wireless HopeLine^® Hero in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the company's HopeLine phone recycling program which turns no-longer-used cell phones into grants and services for survivors of domestic violence. In recognition of Pucillo's accomplishment, Verizon Wireless donated $1000 to Brighter Tomorrows of Suffolk County.

John Kalinowski, zone manager for the company's Long Island Communications Stores, presented Pucillo with a plaque and Brighter Tomorrows' Executive Director Rose Cicchetti with a check for $1000, donated in his name. Brighter Tomorrows is one of the area's leading providers of safe haven and caring services to battered and abused women and their children.

Verizon Wireless was the first wireless carrier in the nation to collect and recycle old cell phones and has done so since January 1999 — first in New York and then across the U.S. Residents can drop off old wireless phones, batteries and accessories, from any wireless provider, at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores throughout the area. The wireless equipment is refurbished or recycled in an environmentally sound manner and the proceeds benefit domestic violence survivors. To date, consumers across the country have donated more than 3.5 million phones, and HopeLine has given $3 million in cash grants to aid domestic violence survivors.

Going above and beyond a simple donation, HopeLine Hero Pucillo collected more than 100 wireless phones at Penn Station in New York City over a three-week period in December, and personally brought the phones to the Verizon Wireless Communications Store in East Northport. A Boy Scout since age eight with East Northport Troop 5, Pucillo's HopeLine contribution enabled him to complete his Life Project. He now is working to earn the Eagle Scout rank.

"Our HopeLine program is effective because of caring individuals like Daniel Pucillo," said Kalinowski. "It takes time, energy and effort to organize and execute wireless phone drives. We created the HopeLine Hero Award to express our gratitude to dedicated people like Daniel who go out of their way to support the program and the domestic violence survivors it benefits."

Founded in 1986, Brighter Tomorrows of Suffolk County offers emergency shelter and transitional housing to battered and abused women and their children, as well as counseling and support services. In addition to providing a $1000 grant to Brighter Tomorrows in Pucillo's honor, the HopeLine program has helped other local domestic violence agencies including the Suffolk County Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Safe Harbor Shelter.

For Verizon Wireless Communication Store locations and additional information on the HopeLine program, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 59 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 65,000 employees nationwide. The company 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 preview and request 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.  

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