Shelter Our Sisters Receives Donation From Verizon Wireless

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Shelter Our Sisters, a non-profit domestic violence agency serving Bergen County women and their families, recently received a $1,500 donation from Verizon Wireless.

The donation was made through the company's HopeLine® phone recycling program. No-longer-used wireless phones, collected at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores throughout the New York Metro area, are refurbished, recycled or sold and the proceeds are donated to domestic violence advocacy groups or used to purchase wireless phones for victims. Phones that cannot be refurbished are disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Shelter Our Sisters recently held their own phone recycling drive and donated the phones to HopeLine.

"This donation is the result of neighbors helping neighbors," said Charles Hand, president of Verizon Wireless' New York Metro Region. "Bergen County residents recognize the devastating impact domestic violence can have on families and have responded by donating their old cell phones and chargers to this very worthy cause. We thank them for their generosity and encourage all citizens to keep domestic violence survivors in their hearts and minds."

Shelter Our Sisters, dedicated to assisting women and children who are victims of domestic violence, receives over 5,000 calls to its 24 hour hotline annually. Primarily serving Bergen County residents, the agency provides emergency and transitional housing to approximately 300 women and children each year.

Since October 2001, the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program has collected more than 3.5 million wireless phones and recycled more than 700,000, given $2 million in cash grants and nearly $10 million in wireless phones and service to domestic violence organizations. Phone donations are accepted at nearly 140 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the New York Metro area. For store locations and additional information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

Verizon Wireless also offers customers a quick and easy way to access professional and confidential help through the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Victims or anyone looking for information on the issue can dial #HOPE (#4673) from any Verizon Wireless phone to reach the hotline. The call is toll and airtime free.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 57 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, NJ, with 60,000 employees nationwide. The company 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. 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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