Arts & Culture

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Verizon Wireless collected a total of 1.13 million old and no-longer-used wireless phones in 2008 through its long-running HopeLine(R) phone recycling and reuse program. This is a 6 percent increase from 2007 and the second consecutive year HopeLine collected more than 1 million phones.

Consumers and businesses donated phones, batteries and accessories at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, sporting events, concerts and corporate phone drives across the country. These donations enabled the HopeLine program, which supports domestic violence prevention and awareness programs nationwide, to award more than $1.5 million in cash grants, generated by the sale of refurbished phones, to nearly 350 domestic violence agencies and organizations.

"Verizon Wireless is proud to have the best and most loyal customers in the industry. It is because of their continued support of HopeLine that together we are able to make a difference in the lives of domestic violence victims," said Lowell McAdam, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless. "After more than a decade of focusing our efforts on domestic violence prevention and awareness, Verizon Wireless remains committed to ending abuse and will continue to work toward that goal until domestic violence no longer exists."

In 2008, Verizon Wireless also provided nearly 21,000 wireless phones to domestic violence agencies around the country for use by their clients. These HopeLine phones, with 63 million minutes of service in total and valued at $6.3 million, can represent a lifeline for victims and a new beginning for survivors of domestic violence who are rebuilding their lives.

The HopeLine program gives consumers an environmentally sound option for disposing of their no-longer-used wireless phones, while providing a simple way to make a difference in the lives of domestic violence victims. Since the October 2001 launch of Verizon Wireless' national recycling program, the company has collected more than 5.6 million phones, preventing those phones from being deposited in landfills. Since the inception of the phone recycling program, cash grants awarded to organizations working to prevent and end domestic violence total more than $6.3 million. HopeLine has also distributed more than 76,000 phones with more than 228 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims of domestic violence.

For more information on Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program and to learn how to donate a wireless phone, visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline .

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 83.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit http://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 http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia .

SOURCE Verizon Wireless