"America's Church Choir" Named at Verizon's How Sweet the Sound National Finale

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Choirs representing nine cities across the country will come together for an unforgettable night of joy and praise as Verizon's How Sweet the Sound's search for "America's Church Choir" concludes at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 28.  The show will be hosted by GRAMMY® Award-winning artists CeCe Winans and Donald Lawrence , and includes award-winning artists Marvin Sapp , Shirley Caesar and Israel Houghton , who will serve as judges and determine who will be "America's Church Choir."

Verizon's How Sweet the Sound traveled across the country providing a platform for church choirs to rejoice in song and praise and win up to $50,000 and the chance to perform at the national finale.  The regional finalists who will compete in the Los Angeles, Calif., finale include:

• Dallas: St. John Church Music Ministry (Grand Prairie, Texas)
• Atlanta: All Nations Life and Praise Church Choir (Stockbridge, Ga.)
• Charlotte, N.C.: Salvation and Deliverance Church Choir of Salvation and Deliverance Church (Tarboro, N.C.)
• Washington, D.C.: James E. Jordan, Jr. Adult Choir of Refreshing Spring Church of God In Christ (Riverdale, Md.)
• Detroit: The Anointed Voices of Higher Ground Young Adult Choir of Higher Ground Always Abounding Assemblies, Inc. (Columbus, Ohio)
• St. Louis: Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Saint Louis Choir of Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Saint Louis (St. Louis, Mo.)
• Chicago: All Nations Choir of the Lighthouse Church of All Nations (Alsip, Ill.)
• Los Angeles: Family Life Sanctuary Choir (Whittier, Calif.)
• Oakland, Calif.: Christian Life Center Mass Choir (Stockton, Calif.)

"Verizon's How Sweet the Sound is a unifying community event that pays tribute to gospel music and its fans.  We are pleased by the response to this program year after year and look forward to bringing together people from across the country to celebrate the gospel community," said Marquett Smith , vice president, corporate communications, Verizon Wireless.  "It has been incredible to see the impact this program has had on the community."

During the regional competitions, choirs were encouraged to collect and donate no-longer-used cell phones to HopeLine® from Verizon.  HopeLine 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 domestic violence victims and survivors, and cash grants to local shelters and nonprofit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention, awareness and advocacy.  More than 12,000 phones were collected throughout the tour.  For more information about HopeLine from Verizon and to learn how to organize a HopeLine drive, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

Details about Verizon's How Sweet the Sound, including videos of participating choirs, judging criteria and the official rules, are available online at www.HowSweetTheSound.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network.  The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 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.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

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