Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by Uploading a Photo to Verizon's First Digital Art Mosaic

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today through Oct. 31, consumers can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by adding their photos to Verizon's first digital hashtag art piece, available at hashtagart.com/verizonhispanicheritage.  The artwork, commissioned by Verizon, starts as a blank canvas and is revealed as people contribute their photos.  For every photo that is added, HopeLine from Verizon will donate $1, up to $50,000, to Casa de Esperanza, a national organization working to end domestic violence in the Latino community.  At the end of the project, a replica of the online artwork will be created and presented to Casa de Esperanza.

"Hashtag art is a wonderful means to represent the strength and diversity of the Latino community," said Amy Sanchez, chief executive of external relations for Casa de Esperanza.  "As the leading Latino domestic violence organization in the country, Casa de Esperanza applauds the generosity and tireless efforts of Verizon to support Latino communities and end domestic violence."

Participating in this history-making hashtag art mosaic is easy.  Individuals can add photos and messages by visiting hashtagart.com/verizonhispanicheritage, clicking on "Add Me" and logging into their Facebook® or Twitter™ accounts.  Within minutes, individuals will be able to click "Find Me" to locate their picture and invite their family and friends to participate.

The artwork for the digital mosaic was created by Betsy Casanas, a mother, artist, community activist and educator in the Hispanic community.  Casanas has designed more than 35 mosaics throughout the United States, Ireland, Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.  Through her work, she empowers individuals in underserved areas to transform their communities and explores socially-relevant themes which include abuse, abandonment, love and family.

"We are proud to partner with this strong Latina artist who is using her art to transform and inspire the community," said Elva Lima, executive director of community relations and multicultural communications at Verizon Wireless.  "This Hispanic Heritage Month art mosaic is a way for Verizon to celebrate the strength and multifaceted cultures within the Latino community."

Additionally, Verizon Wireless customers celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month can stay connected to family and friends in select countries through text, video and picture messaging.  Now through Oct. 31, customers with a Messaging Plan have international messaging to countries like Argentina, Mexico, Honduras and Panama included in their current plan.  Customers without a messaging plan can send international text, video and picture messages from the United States at domestic rates.  Learn more about this limited-time offer at www.verizonwireless.com/internationalmessaging.

For the latest news on Verizon Wireless multicultural and community initiatives, visit http://news.vzw.com/, or follow @VZWcameka and @VZWelva on Twitter.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's fastest, most advanced 4G 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.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless