Verizon Wireless To Sponsor Family Health & Safety Day At Pennsylvania's Neshaminy Mall

TREVOSE, PA — Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless provider, will sponsor its first Family Health & Safety Day on Sunday, October 20 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Neshaminy Mall Strawbridge's Court (near mall entrance three). The event, part of the company's HopeLineSM community service program, will provide citizens of northeast Philadelphia and lower Bucks County with free health and safety information and services, including child safety identification kits and videotaping, domestic violence information, screenings and private counseling, and blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes checks.

"As we have seen from the news recently, violent crimes, abductions and missing children is an issue in today's society," said Fred Harran, Deputy Director of Public Safety, Bensalem Police Department. "We want to stress to residents the importance of these kinds of preventative safety measures, and encourage all residents with questions about child safety, domestic violence and health to come out and participate."

The event will also host a wireless phone drive that will collect no-longer-used wireless phones to be refurbished, recycled or sold to benefit local victims of domestic violence. The Verizon Wireless national HopeLine program distributes previously owned wireless phones to victims of domestic violence, supports non-profit domestic violence advocacy groups and provides an environmentally safe method for recycling phones.

"Verizon Wireless is committed to helping to protect local families by sponsoring events like these where residents can get help from a variety of health and safety resources," says Christine Baron, president of the Verizon Wireless Philadelphia Tri-State Region.

Four health and safety stations will comprise the event. They include:

• A Health Check Station for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes screenings, staffed by two certified nurses from volunteer nurses from local health organizations.
• A Child Safety Station, where representatives from Child Safety Associates and the Bensalem Police Department will fingerprint, photograph and videotape children to create two identification kits - one for safe-keeping by each child's parent and one which will be mailed to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, DC, home of the Amber Alert, in case of emergency.
• A Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Station, where men and women can receive information on what constitutes a domestic violence situation, their legal rights, and assistance. A separate, private screening room will be available for those seeking counseling for domestic violence situations.
• A Learn to Dial 9-1-1 Station, where small children and their parents can practice dialing 9-1-1 on Verizon Wireless' musical phones. Parents can learn about responsible driving and the best ways to protect themselves and their teenage drivers while on the road. Give-aways and refreshment will also be served at this station.

Organizations making contributions to the event include Neshaminy Mall, Shelter from the Storm, Child Safety Associates, the Bensalem Police Department, Chic-Fil-A, Dunkin Donuts, Johnson & Johnson and the Polaroid Corporation.

All events are free to the public the day of the event. First come, first served.

About the HopeLine Program

The national HopeLine program distributes previously owned wireless phones to victims of domestic violence, supports non-profit domestic violence advocacy groups and provides an environmentally safe method for recycling phones. As a result of HopeLine and related phone recycling programs the company has organized since 1995, Verizon Wireless has collected more than 500,000 used wireless phones for the benefit of domestic violence victims and advocacy groups, including nearly 10,000 wireless handsets in the Philadelphia Tri-State area.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 30.3 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless 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.

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