Verizon Wireless Offers $30,000 in Grants To Nonprofit Groups in Metro New York and New Jersey

ORANGEBURG, NY — Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless company, is seeking grant proposals for domestic violence prevention and education projects in the New York Metro area. Qualifying nonprofit organizations are invited to apply for competitive grants totaling $30,000, made possible through the company's HopeLine^SM phone recycling program.

Grants are being offered to enable agencies, shelters and other domestic violence advocacy groups to introduce or expand programs, add equipment or enhance facilities to better serve clients. Three individual grants, up to $10,000 each, will be announced in October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Project proposals must be postmarked or faxed by July 31, 2003.

"Domestic violence awareness and prevention is Verizon Wireless' chief community focus," said Charles Hand, president of the company's New York Metro Region. "It is our hope that these grants will provide funding for innovative programs to help protect victims of domestic violence from their abusers or assist them in re-building their lives."

Verizon Wireless will give strong preference to grant proposals that:

• Emphasize the benefits of the new or expanded program or services
• Include an implementation plan with a defined beginning and end
• Define measurable results

To qualify for funding, an applicant must be designated a public or private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a valid Internal Revenue Service tax ID based in the Verizon Wireless New York Metro Region which includes the following: five boroughs of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties in New York, and Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Humerdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union and Warren counties in New Jersey. For an application and additional information, please call 845-429-3839.

HopeLine is Verizon Wireless' national program that distributes wireless phones to victims of domestic violence and supports non-profit domestic violence advocacy groups. Through its HopeLine Phone recycling program, the company has collected more than one million wireless phones for the benefit of domestic violence victims, including more than 60,000 in the New York metro area. Phones are collected at all 1,200 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country. For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

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 33.3 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 http://www.verizonwireless.com.  

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