Richmond Police Sergeant Honored By Virginia Attorney General And HopeLine From Verizon Program

RICHMOND, VA — Richmond Police Sergeant Carol Adams was honored today by Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli and Verizon Wireless Regional President Mike Maiorana for her service to domestic violence victims across the state at an event commemorating October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Adams, who lost her mother in 1980 in a domestic violence incident, is credited with collecting tens of thousands of phones for the HopeLine® from Verizon phone recycling program. Verizon Wireless’ regional president, Mike Maiorana, called Adams a “HopeLine Hero” and announced a $15,000 donation in her name to be shared equally by three local nonprofit groups.

The groups benefiting from the “Carol Adams HopeLine Hero” grant are: ChildSavers, Richmond, Va.; It’z a New Day, Inc., Chester, Va.; and the Safe Harbor Shelter in Richmond, Va. ChildSavers addresses the mental health and developmental needs of Central Virginia’s children, while It’z a New Day and Safe Harbor both provide support and assistance to domestic violence victims.

HopeLine is Verizon Wireless' national recycling program, which collects no-longer-used wireless handsets − all models, from all wireless carriers − and accessories to be refurbished, recycled and/or sold. Proceeds benefit victims of domestic violence through grants and the donation of wireless phones and service. Carol Adams, who has been collecting phones for HopeLine for many years, personally selected the nonprofits that will share the $15,000 in grant funding. Verizon Wireless has made several earlier contributions in Adams’ name to Virginia nonprofits, totaling $20,000.

“When her mother was murdered 30 years ago, Carol Adams decided to pursue a career in law enforcement to protect others and help ensure that no other young woman would suffer the same fate as Orine Adams and no other daughter would mourn the loss of a mother to domestic violence,” said Mike Maiorana, Regional President, Verizon Wireless. “Carol has devoted her life to helping domestic violence victims become survivors. She is the epitome of a hero, and during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we’re honored to share her commitment by providing HopeLine funding to three organizations that are having such a tremendous impact in the community.”

Attorney General Cuccinelli also used the occasion to announce that Washington County has been selected for recognition in the Safe in Our Communities program and will also receive a $1,000 HopeLine grant.

“All across the Commonwealth, communities are implementing innovative programs to combat domestic violence and, most importantly, they’re sharing best practices with other localities,” said Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli. “The work of dedicated nonprofit groups like Washington County’s Abuse Alternatives demonstrates that, together, we can bring hope and help to victims of domestic violence.”

The Safe in Our Communities program recognizes communities and groups implementing promising practices in domestic violence response. To become certified, groups must complete and submit an application, which is then reviewed by a team of stakeholders across the state, including law enforcement agencies, business groups and government officials. Since it began in 2008, the following localities have applied and met the rigorous criteria of the program: Chesterfield County; King George County; Fairfax County’s Women’s Group of Mount Vernon, Inc.; Loudoun County’s Abused Women’s Shelter; the YWCA of Richmond; and Tazewell County’s Clinch Valley Community Action. Partners in the Safe in Our Communities program include the statewide Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance and Verizon Wireless, which provided $10,000 in initial HopeLine funding for the program.

Since the HopeLine recycling program was launched nationwide in 2001, the company has collected more than 7 million phones; awarded nearly $8 million in cash grants to domestic violence agencies and organizations; distributed more than 90,000 phones with more than 300 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims of domestic violence; and kept more than 200 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of landfills. For more information on the HopeLine program or for instructions on donating a wireless phone, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 92 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit 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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