Verizon Wireless Presents HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award To NOBLE's South Florida Chapter

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and NEW YORK — Verizon Wireless, a recognized corporate leader for its commitment to raising awareness of domestic violence, presented the South Florida chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) with a HopeLine® Law Enforcement Partnership Award today at NOBLE’s annual conference in New York. The HopeLine award recognizes members of law enforcement for their work in domestic violence prevention and awareness.

In recognition of the South Florida chapter’s efforts, Verizon Wireless will donate $2,500 to Women In Distress, the leading domestic violence services agency in Broward County, Fla.

As part of a nationwide phone collection drive organized by NOBLE, the South Florida chapter collected several hundred no-longer-used wireless phones during the months of May and June. Collection boxes were placed in various police and sheriff’s departments, including the Broward County Sheriff’s Department, the Miami-Dade Police Department and the Palm Beach Police Department, and officers and the public were invited to donate.

Phones given to HopeLine that can be refurbished are sold for reuse and those without value are disposed of in an environmentally sound way. Proceeds from the HopeLine program are used to provide wireless phones and grants to local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention and awareness.

Since the HopeLine program was created in 1995, Verizon Wireless has supported the domestic violence prevention and awareness efforts of law enforcement and government agencies in communities nationwide. Verizon Wireless’ support includes donating wireless phones and service, high-speed BroadbandAccess Internet service and cash grants to prosecutors, detectives and other personnel in local government domestic violence units; sponsoring phone collection drives in cooperation with local sheriff and police departments; and partnering with several states’ Attorneys General offices to create campaigns around elder abuse, teen dating and other domestic violence issues.

The HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award honors the efforts of public safety personnel and organizations across the country committed to reducing domestic violence, providing support to victims, raising awareness of the issue and educating communities about domestic violence. Previous HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award honorees include: New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Warren Riley; Chief Gary Gemme of the Worcester, Mass.; Police Department, former Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist; and the New Orleans Police Foundation.

For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 68.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 70,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: 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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