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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 1996
BELL ATLANTIC NYNEX MOBILE LAUNCHES "WIRELESS AT
WORK..."
NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVE
1996 Programming to Focus on Assisting Victims of
Domestic Violence
BEDMINSTER, NJ - In an effort to get its innovative services into
the
hands of people in need more quickly and effectively, Bell Atlantic
NYNEX Mobile today announced the launch of "Wireless at
Work...," a
national umbrella program coordinating all of the company's charitable
initiatives. The Wireless at Work program is not directed at
financial contributions. Instead, it was developed to offer creative
solutions through the company's technologies for society's most vexing
problems.
Since 1993, Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's HopeLine® program has
helped thousands of homeless individuals through free access to voice
mail boxes, giving people a better way to search for jobs, housing,
and other services. This year, Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile will extend
the program to the issue of domestic violence, supplying victims the
confidential communications they need to break away from their abusers
and improve their lives.
According to the Federal Bureau of investigation, one third of the
women murdered in the United States every year are killed as a result
of domestic violence. In addition, battering is the single major
cause of injury to women, more frequent than auto accidents, muggings,
and rapes combined.
HopeLine: A Tool for Direct and Confidential
Communication
"Several years ago we recognized that in order for homeless men and
women to get back on their feet, they needed a direct connection, one
which sidesteps the negative stigma attached to their situation,"
said
Denny Strigl, president and CEO of Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile.
"HopeLine uses voice mail technology to offer a real bridge for
self-improvement, helping people obtain jobs, find new homes, even
receive medical attention."
"What we know now, is that the need for confidential communication
doesn't stop with the homeless. Often victims of domestic violence
must also find alternate housing, temporary child care, even request
police protection, all without the knowledge of their abuser. By
making HopeLine available, we're doing what we can to empower victims
to seek help and escape this very dangerous environment."
Assisting Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile with the roll-out of the program
is Camille Murphy, president of the National Association of
Commissions for Women and director of the Office for Women in
Westchester County, New York. According to Murphy, the Wireless at
Work program could not have come at a better time. "Tighter state
and
federal budgets, along with other threats to social services, mean
that private-sector businesses must become involved in helping women
at risk. Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile has taken a giant and much-needed
step with this service."
Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile officially kicks off the program today,
presenting HopeLine service to the Westchester Coalition of Family
Violence Agencies and New Jersey's network of battered women's
shelters. Each organization will receive from three to 10 voice
mailboxes, accommodating approximately eight clients per box, five
calls a day per client. Case workers at each agency will determine
who receives the boxes and help them activate the voice mail service.
No special equipment is needed.
Measuring the Benefits
Judy Bradsher, a Family Resource Counselor with Sister Care, a women's
residential shelter in Columbia, South Carolina, knows first-hand what
HopeLine means to victims of domestic violence. One of the first
social service agencies to use HopeLine back in 1994, Sister Care has
since provided assistance to hundreds of women residents.
"These women arrive at the shelter having lost almost everything --
their home, their self-esteem, and especially their independence,"
says Bradsher. "HopeLine provides the personal, confidential
communication these women need to restore their lives. It's been
extremely successful for us."
Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile has provided more than 80 organizations
with HopeLine service, making 400 voice mailboxes available throughout
the East Coast. For more information on HopeLine or other Wireless at
Work programs, organizations may contact Andrea Linskey at
908-306-7845.
With more than three million customers Bell Atlantic
NYNEX Mobile is the largest wireless service provider on the East
Coast and the second largest provider in the U.S. Headquartered in
Bedminster, NJ, the company offers a full range of wireless voice,
data, and paging communications solutions. Formed in July 1995
through the combination of Bell Atlantic Mobile's and NYNEX Mobile's
cellular operations, the company has more than 3,000 employees.
####
for more information, contact:
- Andrea Linskey, 908-306-78455