Northern California Domestic Violence Prevention Organizations Receive More Than $227,000 In HopeLine Grants From Verizon Wireless

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern California women and men affected by domestic violence will benefit from Verizon Wireless' support for organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention and awareness. Local domestic violence organizations will receive a total of more than $227,000 in grants from the Verizon Wireless' HopeLine^® phone recycling program to help with program support, client transportation, communications and supplies.

"Verizon Wireless is dedicated to supporting the work of domestic violence prevention organizations throughout the country and here in Northern California," said Russ Preite, region president for Verizon Wireless. "Anyone can make a real difference by just visiting one of our stores and dropping offer their old cell phones of any age, make or model – it's that easy."

Thirty-two domestic violence non-profit organizations in Northern California have been awarded 2012 Verizon HopeLine funding as follows:

• A Safe Place, Oakland, CA
• Asian Women's Shelter, San Francisco, CA
• Bay Area Legal Aid, Oakland, CA  
• Berkeley Food & Housing Project, Berkeley, CA
• Cameron House, San Francisco, CA
• Center for Domestic Peace, San Rafael, CA
• Compass Family Services, San Francisco, CA
• CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse), Burlingame, CA
• CUAV (Community United Against Violence), San Francisco, CA
• Emergency Shelter Programs, Inc, Hayward, CA
• La Casa de Las Madres, San Francisco, CA
• MAITRI, Santa Clara, CA
• Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, San Jose, CA  
• SAVE Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments, Fremont, CA  
• Shalom Bayit, Oakland, CA
• STAND! For Families Free of Violence, Concord, CA
• Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay, Oakland, CA
• Women's Crisis Support - Defensa de Mujeres, Watsonville, CA
• Women's Center of San Joaquin County, Stockton, CA  
• Humboldt Domestic Violence Services, Eureka, CA
• Alternatives to Violence, Red Bluff, CA
• Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition, Inc., Grass Valley, CA  
• PEACE for Families, Auburn, CA  
• U.C. Davis School of Law – Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic, Davis, CA
• Women of Worth, Grass Valley, CA  
• Domestic Violence Solutions for Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara, CA
• North County Women's Shelter & Resource Center, Paso Robles, CA
• Women's Shelter Program of San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo, CA
• Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, Bakersfield, CA
• Central California Family Crisis Center, Inc., Porterville, CA
• Family Services of Tulare County, Visalia, CA
• Marjaree Mason Center, Fresno, CA

Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program puts wireless services and equipment to work to assist victims of domestic violence.  Verizon Wireless collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any wireless service provider. Through HopeLine, phones are then refurbished or recycled in an environmentally sound way.

No-longer-used wireless phones and accessories can be recycled through HopeLine at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store nationwide. To find the nearest store, use our Store Locator. To mail in old phones, batteries or accessories for recycling, view our shipping instructions.

Since HopeLine from Verizon's national cell phone recycling and re-use program was launched in 2001, Verizon Wireless has:

• Collected more than 9 million phones through our stores and other points nationwide.
• Properly disposed of more than 1.72 million phones in an environmentally sound way, and refurbished the remaining units, funding more than $14.2 million in cash grants for domestic violence organizations across the country.
• Distributed nearly 123,000 HopeLine phones with the equivalent of more than 406 million minutes of wireless service for use by victims, survivors and organizations.

Verizon Wireless donates refurbished cell phones, with prepaid airtime, to domestic violence prevention agencies for use by survivors.  With these phones, survivors can stay in touch with loved ones and social service providers; schedule appointments with doctors and interviews with potential employees; and, make a host of other calls as they work to rebuild their lives during a very difficult time.  To learn more about this program, including agency benefits and responsibilities, 501c3 non-profit organizations serving domestic violence survivors in California are encouraged to contact Verizon Wireless online.

By dialing #HOPE from any Verizon Wireless phone on our nationwide network, victims of domestic violence can access professional support quickly and confidentially from the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE).

The HopeLine smartphone app provides tools to help spread awareness of Verizon's mission and provide support to victims of domestic violence through HopeLine. This Fact Sheet provides more information about the app.

For more information on Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 94.2 million retail customers, including 88.8 million retail postpaid customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 78,000 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