Youngest Macomb County, Michigan Domestic Violence Victims Benefit From Verizon Wireless Grant

SOUTHFIELD, MI — Children of domestic violence survivors will benefit from a $5,000 donation made by Verizon Wireless to Turning Point, a Mount Clemens-based organization that assists those who are impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and homelessness across Macomb County.

The grant will fund a summer camp for approximately 40 children who are escaping domestic violence and living at a shelter. It will help provide staffing and activities for daily recreation, field trips and learning experiences.

“We are so grateful for Verizon Wireless’ help in providing an opportunity for these children to have some fun this summer,” said Sue Coats, CEO of Turning Point. “The camp provides some sense of ‘normalcy’ and structure to children who are fearful and anxious about what their future holds.”

The Verizon Wireless donation was made possible by the company’s HopeLine® program. This program provides funding to organizations that support domestic violence awareness and prevention and turns no-longer-used wireless phones into support for survivors of domestic violence.

HopeLine’s national phone recycling and reuse program collected nearly 1.13 million phones in 2008 and has collected more than 5.6 million wireless phones since 2001. Over the past four years, Michiganders have turned in 150,000 phones to Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine program. Last year, Verizon Wireless—along with the Verizon Foundation—donated more than $106,000 in cash grants, phones and airtime to shelters and other organizations in southeastern Michigan working to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families.

“I encourage everyone to dig through their closets, ask friends and family members for their used cell phones and accessories and donate this old equipment to our HopeLine program,” said Greg Haller, president–Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky Region, Verizon Wireless, which now has funded Turning Point’s summer camp program for three consecutive years. “You can help make a difference in the lives of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors right here in Michigan.”

HopeLine wireless phone donations are accepted at all Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the nation. Verizon Wireless asks everyone who plans to give a phone to HopeLine to make sure service on it has been discontinued and all personal data have been erased. Phones given to the HopeLine program are refurbished and resold for reuse or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.

For more information on Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine program, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 86.6 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 86,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit 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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