RICHMOND, Va., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Families in the Tri-Cities of Hopewell, Petersburg and Colonial Heights, Virginia, gathered earlier this month to pay tribute to moms on Mother's Day, with wrapped gifts, flowers, and breakfast-in-bed. The Richmond Police Department found a way to make sure that local moms who are living at The James House emergency shelter for domestic violence victims also received the recognition, praise and support they deserve.

Under the leadership of Sergeant Carol Adams, a dedicated 15-year member of the Richmond Police force, officers conducted a HopeLine wireless phone recycling drive between Earth Day and Mother's Day 2012, and encouraged local residents to do something good for the environment and good for mothers affected by abuse by dropping off used wireless equipment at police headquarters on Grace Street. Hundreds of cellphones, chargers, batteries and cases were collected and are being packed up for shipment to be recycled by HopeLine, Verizon Wireless' nationwide phone recycling program which refurbishes for sale or recycles no-longer-used wireless equipment, and then uses the proceeds to provide free wireless phones with airtime and cash grants to support domestic violence prevention programs and shelters. In return for this installment of phones, Verizon Wireless is providing a HopeLine grant to The James House in the amount of $1,500. The funds will be used by mothers living at the organization's confidential shelter to purchase clothing and personal items which got left behind when they had to flee their homes due to abuse.

A longtime domestic violence prevention advocate, Sergeant Adams has collected upwards of 20,000 no-longer-used wireless phones and accessories for HopeLine over the past eight years, making her Verizon Wireless' most prolific collector nationally. Verizon Wireless, in turn, established the "Carol Adams Community Outreach Program," which has awarded nearly $40,000 to Virginia non-profit domestic violence service providers in Adams' honor, including a $10,000 donation to the Richmond YWCA to refurbish a playground at the Y's confidential domestic violence shelter; the donation was made in memory of Adams' mother, Orine, who died in 1980 at age 34 in a domestic violence incident.

Since 2001, Verizon Wireless has collected more than nine million no-longer-used wireless phones for recycling, awarded more than $14.2 million in cash grants to local non-profit organizations, and kept more than 200 tons of electronics waste and batteries out of landfills. For more information on Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program, visit[ www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline ]. For those interested in donating equipment to this local HopeLine phone drive, please contact Sergeant Adams at 804-646-4069.

About The James House
Founded in 1989 on the belief that all people deserve a life free of interpersonal violence, The James House provides support, advocacy, and education for people in the Tri-Cities area of Virginia affected by sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking to empower them to become healthy, safe and self-sufficient.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves nearly 108 million total wireless connections, including 92.2 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 82,000 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

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Richmond Police Department Helps to Honor Mothers Who Don't Often Get Praise Through Phone Recycling Drive

Richmond Police Department Helps to Honor Mothers Who Don't Often Get Praise Through Phone Recycling Drive

HopeLine from Verizon Wireless Makes it Easy to Honor Moms on Mother's Day and Everyday