Kathy J. Weinman Shelter in Missouri Receives $1,500 Donation From Verizon Wireless For Domestic Violence Prevention

ST. LOUIS, MO — As part of the company’s national HopeLine program, Verizon Wireless announced today that it has donated $1,500 to the Kathy J. Weinman Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence, which is dedicated to protecting area women from domestic violence. The Kathy J. Weinman Shelter, based in St. Louis County, is one of 35 domestic violence organizations in Missouri that will be receiving funds to support local education programs and shelter operations.

“We are pleased to recognize and support the work of the Kathy J. Weinman Shelter,” said Brendan Fallis, president – Kansas/Missouri region, Verizon Wireless. “Their efforts to end domestic violence in St. Louis have made a tremendous difference in the lives of families of domestic abuse and have raised community awareness of the need for prevention and intervention programs. Verizon Wireless has a long-standing commitment to domestic violence prevention, awareness and advocacy. Through our HopeLine program, we are fortunate to be able to work with respected local organizations like the Kathy J. Weinman Shelter across the United States.”

When the Kathy J. Weinman Shelter opened in 1992, it was the first and only domestic violence shelter in St. Louis County. Today, it is still the only county-based shelter in the St. Louis area and the only government-operated domestic violence shelter in the state of Missouri. Women and their children may stay at the shelter for up to 90 days and are offered an array of supportive services that include case management, therapy, health screening, life skills education, crisis intervention, and personal advocacy. In addition, the shelter provides educational presentations and workshops in the community designed to encourage individuals and organizations to take action to address intimate partner violence.

HopeLine from Verizon puts the nation’s most reliable wireless network to work in the community by turning no-longer-used wireless phones into support for victims and survivors of domestic violence. Proceeds from the HopeLine program are used to provide wireless phones and airtime to victims of domestic violence and cash grants to local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention. Since the launch of the HopeLine phone recycling program in 2001, this initiative has collected more than 7 million phones, given out more than $7.9 million in cash grants and distributed more than 90,000 phones with more than 300 million minutes of free wireless service.

For more information about HopeLine from Verizon visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline. If you or someone you know is a domestic violence victim call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 to talk to a counselor. All calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline are confidential.

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About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: 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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