Honoring Texas Victims of Domestic Violence: 111 Women Were Killed Last Year - 20 in DFW Metroplex

LAS COLINAS, Texas, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) and Verizon are teaming up today to launch a special program focusing on domestic violence awareness, with a special screening of the documentary "Telling Amy's Story" at Verizon Headquarters (600 Hidden Ridge) in Las Colinas.

Texas State Representative Linda Harper Brown will be the keynote speaker at the event. Dallas police detective Jon Lumbley of the department's Family Violence Unit, Verizon External Affairs Vice President David Russell and TCFV President Gloria Terry will participate in the panel discussion of the issue, following the screening. The program begins at 5 p.m.

"Telling Amy's Story," hosted by actress and advocate Mariska Hargitay of NBC-TV's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and told by Detective Deirdri Fishel, presents an emotional story about America's pervasive and largely unreported epidemic --domestic violence.

"This story is especially poignant to Verizon and its employees because Amy was a member of the Verizon family," said Shawne Angelle, president of Verizon's Texas region. "The Verizon Foundation funded the creation of this documentary because sharing Amy's story and its important lessons will, hopefully, save lives."

Amy was shot in the head at point blank range by her husband while her parents and children waited in their car in the driveway as she was picking up her belongings and leaving the violent relationship. Amy was a Verizon Wireless employee.  

"The story of Amy McGee is tragic and, sadly, not uncommon. Raising awareness about the pervasiveness of domestic violence in our communities is an important part of prevention," said Frank Antonacci, region president for Verizon Wireless. "Through programs like 'Telling Amy's Story,' HopeLine and others, Verizon and Verizon Wireless are taking steps to engage the community in the fight against domestic violence in all its forms."

TCFV President Gloria Terry said: "Domestic violence impacts every segment of our community. A scared child cannot learn; the business community is impacted with lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism and lost productivity; and from a health perspective, partner violence impacts eight out of 10 leading health indicators.

"In the past 30-plus years, Texas has made significant progress in creating safe havens, gaining greater legal protections, and establishing remarkable transitional services.  However, family violence persists. We must continue to examine and strengthen strategies that build on these key foundational services."

According to a new report released by the Texas Council on Family Violence and compiled from data from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas law enforcement agencies and media reports, 111 women in the state were killed by an intimate partner in 2009.

The report lists the victims' names and gives brief accounts of their deaths. Details revealed in the report include:

• In 2009, there were 27 cases in which one or more children witnessed the death of their mother. The youngest witness was a 9-month-old baby in a bassinet.
• 38 percent of the women were killed in a murder-suicide.
• 110 children are now without a mother or orphaned.
• The victim's ages ranged from 13 to 83. The majority of victims were between 20 and 40 years of age.
• Three counties with large urban cities had the highest number of women killed. Harris County, which includes the city of Houston, had the highest number of deaths (21).
• 20 women were killed in the DFW Metroplex.

During the special Texas unveiling of "Telling Amy's Story," Texas domestic violence advocates will also showcase innovative solutions that each community in Texas can implement to decrease the horrifying statistics.

Texas Council on Family Violence is a statewide organization representing a network of domestic violence programs that provide direct services to victims and their families, and serves as the voice of victims at the state level while working with local communities to create strategies

http://www.tcfv.org/

The Verizon Foundation in the past three years has awarded more than $15 million to nonprofit organizations that assist domestic violence survivors.

Through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program more than 7 million no-longer-used wireless phones have been collected and recycled or refurbished to support domestic violence survivors, generating $8 million that has been given to local agencies since 2001.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 93 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 217,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

SOURCE Verizon