Women's Support And Community Services of St. Louis, Missouri Receives $10,000 Donation From Verizon Foundation

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ST. LOUIS, MO — Women's Support and Community Services, the oldest and largest locally founded agency serving abused women in the St. Louis area, announced today it received a $10,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation.

The funds will support the agency's crisis intervention program by helping to underwrite costs associated with staffing a 24-hour women's crisis line that serves victims across the St. Louis metro area. The TTY-equipped crisis line relies on trained staff and volunteers to help assess callers' immediate needs and to provide them with emotional support. Through this person-to-person contact, crisis line workers are able to provide referrals for medical care, legal aid, shelter and other needed services.

"We are thankful to Verizon Wireless and the Verizon Foundation for their continued support of our agency's programs and services, and for their tireless commitment to domestic violence education and outreach," said Barbara Bennett, executive director of Women's Support and Community Services.

"As a vital first step, the person-to-person communication offered through our crisis line offers victims-women and teens who are often too humiliated or fearful to confide in family or friends-a safe way to break the barriers of silence and isolation."

Women's Support provides critical services in an integrated setting to women victimized by domestic violence or sexual assault. The agency's self-help philosophy encourages all clients to pursue long-term goals of self-determination and self-reliance.

"Many of the women counseled through Women's Support and Community Services' Crisis Line are looking for reassurance that help is available and that there is a way to escape the violence that impacts their lives," said Mark Crumpton, president—Kansas/Missouri Region, Verizon Wireless. "A call for help is a call that should never go unanswered," Crumpton added.

About Women's Support and Community Services
For over 30 years, Women's Support and Community Services has worked to reduce the impact and incidence of relationship violence and sexual assault in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The agency is unique in providing crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy, and education for women whose victimization is complex. In addition, for 18 years, a gender violence prevention workshop series, Project H.A.R.T. (Healthy Alternatives for Relationships among Teens), has been presented in middle and high schools across the area to help young people learn to have safe and healthy relationships.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 57 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., 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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