Verizon Wireless and Verizon Foundation Donate $50,000 to American Red Cross for Joplin, MO Tornado Victims

JOPLIN, Mo., May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless and the Verizon Foundation have donated $50,000 to the Greater Ozarks Chapter of the American Red Cross to assist victims of the recent tornado in Joplin, Missouri. The contribution is intended to provide immediate help to people who are dealing with the aftermath of one of the worst tornadoes in Missouri history and who continue to face challenging weather conditions.

In addition to the contribution of cash, Verizon Wireless is deploying mobile cell towers to the area; providing courtesy phones to emergency workers; setting up a mobile cell phone charging station and Internet access point for all wireless device users; and continuing to provide Verizon Wireless customer assistance at the existing store in the North Park Mall on North Range Line Road.

"When a disaster of this magnitude hits a community, the need for reliable communications becomes even more important than ever," said Brendan Fallis, president – Kansas/Missouri Region, Verizon Wireless, who joined engineers and technicians on the ground in Joplin on Tuesday.

"We have committed our resources to the overall effort taking place in Joplin today, and will continue to provide the most reliable communications network in the nation to local individuals and businesses as they begin the process of rebuilding," said Fallis.

Verizon Wireless, which operates the nation's largest and most reliable 3G network, is providing several Cells On Wheels (COWs) mobile cell towers in the area and has established a temporary Verizon Wireless mobile station near the permanent store location in the North Park Mall at 111 North Range Line Road in Joplin.

Verizon Wireless Encourages Mobile Donations

Verizon Wireless has implemented a mobile giving program for customers looking for a simple way to contribute to relief and recovery efforts following the devastation in Joplin, Mo.  Customers can use their mobile phones to make $10 donations to a variety of nonprofit organizations responding to the tornado and the needs of local citizens in the aftermath – including American Red Cross Relief and United Way - Heart of Missouri. Donating is easy – customers simply text the specific word to the organization's designated short code:

• American Red Cross Relief: Text "REDCROSS" to 90999
• Convoy of Hope: Text "CONVOY" to 50555
• Salvation Army: Text "JOPLIN" to 80888
• United Way - Heart of Missouri: Text "JOPLIN" to 864833
• World Vision, Inc.: Text "TORNADO" to 20222

Verizon Wireless always waives text-messaging fees for disaster relief, so text messages are free when used to make donations to any of these organizations, and 100 percent of each $10 donation goes to the relief organization.  For Verizon Wireless customers who pay monthly bills, the $10 donations will appear on the next regular monthly bill.  For customers using the company's prepaid services, the $10 donation will be taken from customers' prepaid balance.

About the Verizon Foundation

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 104 million total wireless connections, including more than 88 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 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.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Brenda Hill
Verizon Wireless
913.344.2922
[email protected]

Mark Farnen
For Verizon Wireless
573.424.1782
[email protected]

SOURCE Verizon Wireless