Verizon Foundation Awards Grant To Alabama Non-Profit For Program Aimed At Domestic Violence Prevention

MONTGOMERY, Ala., Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Verizon Foundation presented a $20,000 grant to the One Place Family Justice Center last night to support an initiative aimed at engaging and empowering men to speak out against domestic violence.

A CALL TO MEN: The Next Generation of Manhood was founded in 2002. Its vision is to shift social norms that define manhood in our culture and create a world where women and girls are valued and safe.  Although historically it has been almost entirely women at the forefront addressing this issue, A CALL TO MEN believes that preventing domestic and sexual violence is primarily the responsibility of men. 

A CALL TO MEN has trained men and women in more than 3,000 organizations throughout the United States and abroad, including the National Football League, the United Nations and many more. 

Last night's event was the first of two events to kick off A CALL TO MEN in Montgomery. One Place Family Justice Center is working with Alabama State University, the Montgomery Police Department's Domestic Violence Unit and the Maxwell Air Force Base Family Advocacy Program on this initiative.

Alabama State University student athletes are working as key strategic partners in helping to end domestic violence on college campuses in Montgomery. Also, officers, community leaders from local civic groups, and governmental agencies and offices will attend a second event to help implement the A CALL TO MEN initiative in Montgomery in the workplace.

The Verizon Foundation's grant was instrumental in allowing One Place Family Justice Center to bring one of the co-founders of A CALL TO MEN to Montgomery to help start the program in the city. The events will aim to increase men's awareness about violence against women and girls, demonstrate ways sexism has been normalized in everyday culture, discuss how well-meaning men can help prevent and end violence against women and girls and inspire men to take action and hold one another accountable for ending men's violence against women and men.

Verizon has a long history of supporting survivors of domestic violence and aiding in its prevention. HopeLine^® from Verizon collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any wireless service provider. Verizon Wireless then provides wireless phones and airtime to nonprofit organizations for use by domestic violence survivors as well as cash grants to local shelters and domestic violence organizations that focus on prevention, awareness and advocacy. 

Since its inception, HopeLine has collected more than 8 million phones and provided $10 million in grants. Phones that cannot be refurbished are recycled in an environmentally sound way under a zero-landfill policy.

In addition, in the past four years, the Verizon Foundation has awarded more than $21 million to nonprofit organizations that assist domestic violence survivors.

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
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 consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 96 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 184,500.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon