Survivors of abuse build violence-free lives with help from Verizon
Posted on October 7, 2011
Company’s $50,000 HopeLine grant to Laura’s House in Orange County, California funds technology upgrades; Verizon employees also donate food and other essentials to shelter.
LADERA RANCH, Calif., Sept. 21, 2011 – Survivors of domestic abuse can now search for jobs, find apartments, or locate schools for their children through new online tools and resources, thanks to a $50,000 Verizon Wireless HopeLine technology grant to Laura’s House. In addition to funding computer upgrades for shelter residents, the grant also modernizes the agency’s computerized case management system to help ensure the best possible outcomes for clients.
Verizon Wireless employees in the company’s Irvine marketing and sales operations group also conducted a collection drive of essentials for survivors living in the Laura’s House shelter. Employees donated non-perishable food, gift cards from national retailers and local grocery stores, and supplies for children in the shelter to make arts and crafts gifts for their moms.
As a thank you to Verizon Wireless employees, Laura’s House presented the company with a wall of “thank you tiles” created by children in the agency’s counseling and shelter programs—a wall now prominently displayed at the company’s local headquarters.
“We are honored that Verizon Wireless has chosen to support Laura’s House in providing much-needed programs and services to families that are rebuilding their lives free of violence,” said Margaret Bayston, CEO and executive director of Laura’s House. “We found the company’s collection drive to be a very creative way to engage their employees in helping Laura’s House end the cycle of domestic violence in our community. We’re also grateful for their financial contributions, and hope that their efforts will inspire other local businesses to find ways to make a difference in our community.”
“Giving back to the communities in which we work is part of who we are as a corporate citizen,” said Diana Zaccardi, vice president of marketing. “For our marketing and sales operations team in Irvine, it was an honor to collect and donate more than 450 items and $560 in gift cards to Laura’s House. We know what a great organization they are and that they’re putting to work every item we donated to benefit each woman and child living in their shelter.”
More information on the programs and services offered by Laura’s House is available at www.laurashouse.org. The Verizon Wireless HopeLine program collects no-longer-used cell phones and accessories at the company’s Communications Stores. The company recycles, refurbishes and resells the equipments, using the proceeds to awards grants of cash, phones and free airtime to domestic violence prevention agencies. To learn how to donate to HopeLine, please visit: http://bit.ly/pgN2gV.
About Laura’s House
Annually, Laura’s House provides residential shelter services to more than 200 women and children, counseling to more than 300 clients, legal services to more than 300 clients and assists with more than 1,700 crisis hot-line calls. The mission of Laura’s House is changing social beliefs, attitudes and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse.
About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: 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.
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