Verizon Wireless Donates 3.5 Million Minutes To Domestic Abuse Survivors

SOUTHFIELD -- Verizon Wireless announced that it donated more than 3.5 million minutes of service and gave more than $350,000 in grants in 2011 to Michigan shelters and other organizations as part of its overall commitment to preventing domestic violence and putting resources into the hands of survivors.

The total donation was made possible in part by phones collected through HopeLine from Verizon, the company's phone recycling and reuse program. Michigan residents turned in nearly 34,000 no-longer-used wireless phones to HopeLine in 2011.

"In 2011, Michiganders stepped up and made a difference in the lives of domestic violence survivors in our area," said John Granby, president of the Michigan-Indiana-Kentucky region of Verizon Wireless. "The Census tells us that domestic violence services are sought by more than 1,800 individuals every day in Michigan.  HopeLine funds generated through donations of used phones, combined with Verizon's donation of airtime, are helping to ensure that survivors have the resources they need."

Through HopeLine from Verizon, 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, and proceeds are donated to organizations that work against domestic violence in the form of cash grants and prepaid Verizon Wireless phones for survivors.

Michigan residents are encouraged to easily donate no-longer-used phones and accessories to HopeLine at local Verizon Wireless stores or by downloading postage-paid mailing labels from the HopeLine Web site.

Verizon Wireless offers a direct link for help across its nationwide wireless network through #HOPE, which provides survivors with an avenue to safety and independence.  By dialing "#HOPE" from any Verizon Wireless phone on the nationwide network, survivors of domestic violence are able to access professional support quickly and confidentially. The toll- and airtime-free call is routed to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE).

Since the national recycling program began in 2001, HopeLine has collected more than 9 million phones nationwide; awarded more than $14 million in cash grants to prevention and awareness programs nationwide; and donated more than 123,000 HopeLine phones with more than 406 million minutes of airtime to domestic violence victims, survivors and organizations. The program has also disposed of more than 1 million phones in an environmentally sound way and refurbished the remaining units. To learn more about HopeLine from Verizon and to become involved, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.