Virginia Attorney General Recognizes Verizon Wireless for Supporting Innovative Domestic Violence Prevention Programs

Virginia Attorney General Recognizes Verizon Wireless for Supporting
Innovative Domestic Violence Prevention Programs
- Chesterfield and King George Counties Honored for Innovative Domestic
Violence Prevention Practices

RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of October's Domestic
Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, Virginia Attorney General Bill Mims
is joining forces with the Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program to recognize
nonprofit groups across the state for their innovative solutions to combat
domestic violence.

At a ceremony today, Verizon Wireless presented checks for $1,000 each to two
Virginia community groups working to address domestic violence, an issue that
devastates many families: the Chesterfield County Domestic Violence Task
Force and the Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence. Chesterfield and King
George Counties were recognized for their contributions through the Attorney
General's Safe in Our Communities program. To date, Verizon has provided a
total of $10,000 in grant funds for the program.

Both programs join four other community programs -- Fairfax County's Women's
Group of Mount Vernon, Inc.; Loudoun County's Abused Women's Shelter; the YWCA
of Richmond; and the Tazewell County's Clinch Valley Community Action --
which received monetary awards from the Safe in Our Communities initiative in
April of this year.

Safe in Our Communities is a joint effort announced in 2008 by the Virginia
Office of the Attorney General, with assistance from the statewide Virginia
Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance. The program recognizes
communities and programs for implementing best or promising practices in
domestic violence response. To become certified, groups must complete and
submit an application, which is reviewed by a team of stakeholders across the
state that includes law enforcement agencies, business groups and government
officials.

Verizon Wireless, through the company's HopeLine Phone Recycling program,
provided $10,000 in initial funding for Safe in Our Communities in October
2008. Each of the six programs certified to date through Safe in Our
Communities has also received $1,000 in funding through HopeLine. Additional
nonprofits chosen for recognition in the next round of applications will share
the remaining $4,000, from the original $10,000 HopeLine grant.

"We're pleased to partner with Verizon Wireless in honoring two more
communities which are taking a stand against domestic violence," said Attorney
General Mims. "Chesterfield County and King George County now bring the total
to six programs across Virginia which are being recognized for the innovative
solutions they have implemented to help bring an end to domestic abuse."

Verizon Wireless regional president Mike Maiorana noted, "We're proud to
continue our longstanding partnership with Virginia's Office of the Attorney
General and Virginia's Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, and
applaud the important work being done by communities across the Commonwealth
that has resulted in improved response, enhanced protections and enabled
victims of domestic violence to become survivors."

The $10,000 Verizon Wireless grant is made possible by the company's HopeLine
program, which collects no longer used wireless handsets (all models, from all
wireless carriers) and accessories to be refurbished, recycled and/or sold.
Proceeds benefit victims of domestic violence through grants and the donation
of wireless phones and service. Since HopeLine's recycling program was
launched nationwide in 2001, Verizon Wireless has collected more than 6.5
million phones; awarded more than $7 million in cash grants to domestic
violence agencies and organizations; distributed more than 80,000 phones with
more than 240 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims
of domestic violence; and kept more than 200 tons of electronic waste and
batteries out of landfills.

For more information on Verizon Wireless' HopeLine program or for instructions
on donating a wireless phone, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline. To
view the application or for more information about the Safe in Our Communities
program, visit www.vaag.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless
voice and 3G data network, serving 89 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 (Nasdaq and
LSE: VOD). For more information, visit 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 www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

Melanie Ortel, +1-240-568-1429, Melanie.Ortel@VerizonWireless.com, or Sherri
Cunningham, +1-202-364-5856, http://twitter.com/VZWPRDC, both of Verizon
Wireless