The Lighthouse Shelter In Missouri Receives $2,500 Donation From Verizon Wireless For Domestic Violence Prevention

MARSHALL, MO — Verizon Wireless announced today that it has donated $2,500 to The Lighthouse Shelter as part of the company’s national HopeLine program, which is dedicated to assisting communities, local shelters and agencies in ending domestic violence. The Lighthouse Shelter is one of 39 domestic violence prevention organizations in Missouri that will be receiving funds to support local education programs and shelter operations.

“Verizon Wireless has a long-standing commitment to domestic violence prevention, awareness and advocacy, and we are pleased to recognize and support the work of The Lighthouse Shelter,” said Brendan Fallis, president – Kansas/Missouri region, Verizon Wireless. “Their efforts to end domestic violence in Marshall and surrounding communities made a tremendous difference in the lives of families of domestic abuse and have raised community awareness of the need for prevention and intervention programs. Through our HopeLine program, we are fortunate to be able to work with respected local organizations like The Lighthouse Shelter across the United States.”

The Lighthouse Shelter serves domestic violence victims and their minor children in Saline County, Mo.

HopeLine from Verizon puts the nation’s most reliable wireless network to work in the community by turning no-longer-used wireless phones into support for victims and survivors of domestic violence. Proceeds from the HopeLine program are used to provide wireless phones and airtime to victims of domestic violence and cash grants to local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention. Since the launch of the HopeLine phone recycling program in 2001, Verizon has collected more than 8 million phones; awarded more than $10 million in cash grants to domestic violence agencies and organizations throughout the country; properly disposed of nearly 1.7 million no-longer-used wireless phones in an environmentally sound way; distributed more than 106,000 phones with approximately 319 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims of domestic violence; and kept more than 210 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of landfills.

For more information about HopeLine from Verizon visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline. If you or someone you know is a domestic violence victim call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 to talk to a counselor. All calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline are confidential.

About The Lighthouse Shelter
In the 16 years since the Lighthouse Shelter, Inc. has been in service it has assisted over 10,000 cases of domestic violence and sexual assault. In the last year, the organization assisted 420 women, 345 children and 11 men. The number of victims it serves has increased each year. With this growth, it has seen not only a change in victims’ needs, but also in ways to support them. One such way is by providing survivors with Verizon Wireless phones. In 2004, the Lighthouse Shelter, Inc. founded the Lighthouse Thrift Store. Victims are able to work at the Thrift Store to earn items they want and need for their home. This helps them increase their skills and self-confidence to work their way out of the cycle of violence and into self-sufficiency. The program offers on-the-job training that includes customer service, telephone and filing skills, scheduling, organizing, daily record keeping, stocking shelves, and cleaning. The Lighthouse Shelter has the mission to decrease domestic violence and sexual assault in Saline County through community awareness, shelter, counseling direct services and support groups. The Lighthouse Shelter is “The Light for Families at Risk.”

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About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 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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