Verizon Wireless Teams Up With Alabama Sororities to Increase Awareness of Domestic Violence During #HOPEWEEK

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Verizon Wireless has teamed up with the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ACADV) and chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Chi Omega across the state of Alabama for #HOPEWEEK, a week-long awareness initiative October 17-23 that will flood the state with purple ribbons.

During #HOPEWEEK, participating Verizon Wireless stores in Alabama and sorority chapters will distribute purple awareness ribbons to supporters in communities around the state. In addition, sorority chapters will work to collect signatures for an online cause statement at www.HOPEWEEKAL.com. The sorority chapter that delivers the most signatures will win a $2,500 Verizon HopeLine grant for the ACADV member organization of their choice.

"We are tremendously grateful that Verizon has stepped up to help us champion this issue and drive awareness during Domestic Violence Awareness Month," said Carol Gundlach, Executive Director of ACADV. "In a year that our member organizations have seen funding cuts, the #HOPEWEEK grant competition presents a great opportunity for those organizations to receive much-needed dollars to continue serving domestic violence victims and survivors."

HopeLine from Verizon is a phone recycling program through which the company provides refurbished phones to domestic violence victims and survivors and grant dollars to domestic violence organizations. Since HopeLine was launched in October of 2001, Verizon has funded more than $10 million in cash grants for domestic violence organizations across the country and distributed more than 106,000 HopeLine phones with the equivalent of more than 319 million minutes.

To encourage the collection of no-longer used cell phones during #HOPEWEEK, Verizon will give sorority partners an additional five signature points toward the grant competition for each device collected for HopeLine.

"Verizon is proud to work with the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the participating chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Chi Omega to help bring much-need awareness to the devastating issue of domestic violence," said Michelle Miller, Retail Sales Director for the Georgia/Alabama region of Verizon Wireless. "We can all help make a difference and change lives."

Sorority chapters will spread the word about #HOPEWEEK with on-campus activation during the week of October 17, during which time they will distribute awareness ribbons and stickers and collect signatures and no-longer used cell phones. The #HOPEWEEK online cause page uses responsive web design, a method of building sites that are adaptable to the user's browser or device, making it ideal for use on smartphones and tablets. Participating chapters will also champion the cause via social media by encouraging their Facebook and Twitter followers to sign the online cause page and like the #HOPEWEEK Facebook page.

Participating sorority chapters and their adopted non-profits include:

• Auburn University chapter of Alpha Chi Omega – Domestic Violence Intervention Center, Opelika
• University of Alabama chapter of Alpha Chi Omega – Turning Point Shelter, Tuscaloosa
• Alabama A&M University chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Crisis Services of North Alabama, Huntsville
• Auburn University chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Domestic Violence Intervention Center, Opelika
• Auburn University at Montgomery chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Family Sunshine Center, Montgomery
• Birmingham-Southern chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – YWCA Domestic Violence Services, Birmingham
• Samford University chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – SafeHouse of Shelby County, Pelham
• University of Alabama at Birmingham chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Harriet's House, Demopolis
• University of Alabama at Huntsville chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Crisis Services of North Alabama, Huntsville
• University of Montevallo chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence

For more information on HopeLine from Verizon, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline. To request a HopeLine collection box for your organization, email [email protected].

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE 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