Pittsburgh Chapter of NOBLE Receives HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and WARRENDALE, Pa., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Honoring the efforts of public safety officials that have demonstrated extraordinary commitment and focus on preventing domestic violence and raising awareness in their communities, Verizon Wireless, a corporate leader in domestic violence prevention, presented the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) with a HopeLine® Law Enforcement Partnership Award today at NOBLE's annual convention in Maryland.

In addition to the award and in honor of the work of the Pittsburgh Chapter, Verizon Wireless will make a HopeLine donation of $5,000 to the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh.  This donation will help the Center's mission to end intimate partner violence in the lives of women and their children.

"Our partnership with NOBLE, now in its third year, is the perfect example of how the public and private sector can join forces for the betterment of our communities," said Gabe Esposito, director, corporate security and business continuity at Verizon Wireless.  "We're grateful for this opportunity and look forward to continuing our relationship with NOBLE as we strive to keep our communities safe from violence."

The Pittsburgh chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) collected more than 1,000 wireless phones during the agency's third annual phone drive.  Collectively, NOBLE chapters across the country donated a total of 3,200 no-longer-used cell phones, all of which have been donated to Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program and will be provided to participating domestic violence agencies and organizations nationwide for use by victims and survivors as they rebuild their lives.

Thanks to the generosity of individuals and groups like NOBLE, HopeLine collections total more than 7 million phones since the launch of the cell phone recycling program in 2001.  As a result, the program has been able to distribute more than 90,000 phones with more than 300 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims of domestic violence.  

Verizon Wireless is a recognized corporate leader for its commitment to preventing domestic violence and raising awareness of the issue through the company's HopeLine program. HopeLine collects no-longer-used wireless phones and accessories from any wireless service provider, turning them into wireless phones and service to be used by domestic violence survivors and financial support for non-profit advocacy agencies.  Remaining phones are recycled in an environmentally sound way.  

For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  A complete list of past recipients of the HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award is also available online at http://aboutus.vzw.com/communityservice/lawenforcement.html.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving nearly 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 81,000 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.

About NOBLE

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) serves as the conscience of law enforcement by being committed to justice by action.  NOBLE represents over 3,000 members nationwide, primarily African-American chief executive officers of law enforcement agencies at federal, state, county and municipal levels, other law enforcement administrators, and criminal justice practitioners.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless