Donation To Raphael House Marks Grand Opening Of New Verizon Wireless Store In Gresham

PORTLAND, OR — This weekend, Verizon Wireless is celebrating the grand opening of its newest Communications Store, located at 1031 NW Civic Drive in Gresham, with a $2,500 donation to the Raphael House, a year-round emergency shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

The Raphael House was founded in 1977 to provide a foundation of hope for victims of domestic violence. There are more than 132,000 victims of domestic violence in Oregon every year and the Raphael House provides services annually to more than 500 victims.

"Verizon Wireless has a long history of supporting domestic violence initiatives," said Kelley DeLaney, regional president for Verizon Wireless in Oregon "We want to make a difference in the local community, and by helping the Raphael House, we hope to play a part in increasing the awareness and prevention of domestic violence."

On Saturday, February 3, radio station KKRZ will broadcast live at the new Verizon Wireless store from 1-3 p.m and the Blazer Dancers will sign autographs from 1-4 p.m. Customers will receive a special promotional offer of 250 additional minutes on their first month of service when signing up for any DigitalChoice plan from February 1-4. Any customer that activates a new line of service during the weekend will be eligible to enter a drawing to win free Blazer tickets. Free food and giveaways also will be available throughout the weekend.

The new Verizon Wireless Communications Store features a variety of products and services, including the company's popular all-inclusive SingleRate^SM service and a premier line of digital wireless phones, data products and accessories. The staff of trained professionals can assist individuals in selecting equipment, making decisions on calling plans or setting up Mobile Web, Verizon Wireless' internet access service.

"Our customer base is expanding in the Gresham area," said DeLaney. "Our new location will give customers more convenient access to our products and service and allow us to provide even better customer service."

Heather Holt is the manager of the Verizon Wireless store in Gresham. The store is open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with 27.5 million wireless voice and data customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp -- now Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) -- and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The company has a footprint covering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets. Verizon Wireless, headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, is 38,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com.

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