Verizon Wireless Donates $1,000 To Interval House Domestic Violence Shelter

MANCHESTER, CT — Verizon Wireless today presented a $1,000 check to Interval House, Hartford's domestic violence shelter. The donation is part of Verizon Wireless' HopeLineSM program, an ongoing nationwide commitment to help victims, predominantly women and children, who want to leave violent and abusive relationships.

"Verizon Wireless' chief community relations focus is to raise awareness of domestic violence, and provide resources to those who help victims," said Verizon Wireless New England President Bob Stott.

As a result of HopeLine, and related phone recycling programs the company has organized since 1995, more than 500,000 used wireless phones have been collected for the benefit of domestic violence victims and advocacy groups. Today, Verizon Wireless stores throughout the country, including 20 locations in Connecticut, encourage people to drop off their no longer used wireless phones. The company refurbishes, recycles and/or sells the phones for parts; then donates new phones and proceeds to domestic violence shelters.

The company also donates voice mailboxes to shelters so women have a discreet way to receive messages from potential landlords, employers and family members. The nationally ranked Verizon Wireless Women's Cycling Team donates 100% of their prize money to HopeLine related causes.

Interval House plans to use the donation money to promote and provide programs that strive to prevent and break the cycle of family and intimate partner abuse, according to Executive Director Cecile Enrico, "We're so happy to have Verizon Wireless on our side to help women and children, and to open people's eyes to the problem domestic violence," Enrico added.

Interval House serves 24 towns from Andover to Avon and is Connecticut's largest non-profit domestic violence intervention and prevention organization. Providing free and confidential services, staff and volunteers have offered their expertise to adult victims and their children for 25 years. From its offices in Manchester, Hartford and Avon, Interval House provides a 24-hour hotline, crisis counseling, emergency shelter, safety planning, support groups, advocacy, criminal and civil court advocacy, information and referrals, community education, and a program for the children of clients. Interval House, the only organization in the Greater Hartford Region solely dedicated to addressing domestic violence, served more than 5,000 new clients in 2001.

Domestic violence occurs in an intimate relationship when one person maintains power over the other by using a pattern of controlling and abusive behaviors. The abuse may be emotional and/or verbal, and may include physical or sexual assaults or threats. The victim may feel scared, confused, dependent, and insecure. The children of a battered parent must contend with these same fears and realities. According to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a woman is battered every 15 seconds in the United States. The Coalition fields anywhere between 4,000-8,000 calls each month on their hotline, and that for every reported case of domestic violence, there are probably another two that go unreported.

Verizon Wireless encourages customers who are upgrading their wireless phones to participate in its exclusive HopeLine phone-recycling program. The national HopeLine program distributes any previously owned wireless phones to victims of domestic violence, supports non-profit domestic violence advocacy groups and provides an environmentally safe method for recycling phones. Donations are accepted at all 1,200-plus Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country. For additional information, customers may also visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 30.3 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com.

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