NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Domestic violence is the number one public health issue for women and impacts nearly one in seven men and more than 3 million children. Additionally, nearly three out of four people living in the United States know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence.

For well over a decade, Verizon has worked with community organizations to spread awareness about domestic violence and aid in its prevention. This month, to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), Verizon will carry out a number of community events and initiatives, including a cross-country bus tour, text-to-donate initiatives and a new device in purple, aimed to spread the word of prevention.

"Verizon has a long history of taking a stand against domestic violence and providing resources that strengthen our communities," said Torod Neptune, vice president, corporate communications, Verizon Wireless. "Domestic Violence Awareness Month presents us a unique opportunity to demonstrate our ongoing and unwavering commitment to this cause, and leverage our technology to help those impacted by domestic abuse."

Join the Journey of Hope
Verizon has teamed up with the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) for the [ Journey of Hope ]– a cross-country bus tour to help raise awareness and provide resources. The tour will collect stories from individuals affected by domestic violence and those working to end domestic violence in our communities. The public is invited to visit the bus, which will stop in six cities, to share their stories of support, survival, hope and perseverance. Individuals wanting to donate no-longer-used cell phones and accessories from any provider can do so at each tour stop to support victims and survivors of domestic violence through [ HopeLine^® from Verizon ].

Through HopeLine, Verizon's phone recycling program, the company collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any carrier and puts them to work in the community by turning them into support for domestic violence survivors. Phones collected through HopeLine recycling drives are either refurbished and sold or recycled, with the proceeds donated to organizations that work against domestic violence in the form of cash grants and prepaid Verizon Wireless phones for survivors.

Since the launch of HopeLine in 2001, more than $14.2 million in cash grants have been awarded to domestic violence agencies and organizations throughout the country, and nearly 123,000 phones have been distributed with more than 406 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims of domestic violence.

Consumers can also donate their phones at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide or by mail using the prepaid mailing label available at [ www.verizonwireless.com/hopelinemailinglabel ].

Walk for Hope
Throughout the month, Verizon employees will participate in walks across the country to take a stand against domestic violence. For each employee who walks, the company will donate $100, up to $50,000, to [ The Hotline ].

"We are honored to be a part of Verizon's campaign to help end domestic violence and pleased to partner with a corporation that inspires their employees and community members to get involved in this important social issue," said Katie Ray-Jones, president of The Hotline and the National Dating Abuse Helpline. "Verizon is a key supporter in our mission to prevent this silent epidemic, and we look forward to seeing the communities' response to our efforts."

Community Initiatives
For more than a decade, the [ Verizon Foundation ] has worked with community organizations to help prevent domestic violence and has invested more than $42 million towards this social cause. Supported organizations this year include:

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital: Trains health care professionals to identify signs and cases of domestic violence
Futures Without Violence: Develops and implements online training courses for healthcare practitioners around a variety of topics related to domestic violence
Florida State University, Law Enforcement Officer DV Training Curriculum: Educates law enforcement professionals on how to identify cases of domestic violence and how to prevent domestic violence in their own homes
Men Can Stop Rape, Healthy Masculinity Action Project: Training institutes that focus on engaging men as advocates to strengthen the voice around domestic violence prevention as well as educate men and boys on healthy masculinity and healthy relationships

Text to Donate and Other Initiatives to Support Domestic Violence Victims
In addition to these initiatives, Verizon Wireless offers several interactive ways for consumers to take a stand and pledge their support during DVAM. Verizon Wireless customers can join the text-to-donate campaign by texting "HOTLINE" to 85944 to make a one-time $10 donation to The Hotline, helping to make a difference in the lives of thousands of victims, survivors and their families. Verizon Wireless will waive text messaging fees and 100 percent of each $10 donation will go to The Hotline. The $10 donation will appear on customers' next regular monthly bill as a part of the text-to-donate campaign.

Fans of the [ Verizon Wireless Facebook ] page can take part in a photo contest and submit photos from their Verizon Wireless devices for a chance to be featured on the page. This month's contest will feature photos demonstrating hope in honor of DVAM. For each photo entered in the contest, Verizon will donate $1, up to $10,000, to the [ National Dating Abuse Helpline ], a national 24-hour resource designed for teens and young adults suffering from dating abuse and looking for real-time support from peer advocates. One photo per week will be selected as the cover of the Verizon Wireless Facebook page and participants will receive the opportunity to win an Android^™ tablet.

Verizon Wireless continues to raise domestic violence awareness through the newly released [ Lucid^™ by LG in Purple ], a smartphone designed to create an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use experience for first-time smartphone users. The color purple has symbolized anti-domestic violence efforts for more than 20 years.

For more information on Verizon's DVAM activities and the Journey of Hope tour, visit [ www.journeyofhopetour.com ]. For more information on the HopeLine from Verizon program, visit [ www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline ]. For more information about the Verizon Foundation, visit [ www.verizonfoundation.org ].

To receive up-to-the-minute news on the Journey of Hope tour, follow [ @VZWCameka ] on Twitteror visit the [ Verizon Wireless News Center ] for updates on tour stops.

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 more than 94 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 more than 188,000. For more information, visit [ www.verizon.com ].

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at [ www.verizon.com/news ]. To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

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Join Verizon To Prevent Domestic Violence In Our Communities

Join Verizon To Prevent Domestic Violence In Our Communities

Verizon Begins Domestic Violence Awareness Month with Journey of Hope Community Tour, Text-to-Donate Campaign and More