Verizon Wireless’ UHopeLine Empowers Students to Break the Silence of Dating Violence

By: Cameka Crawford

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, a month dedicated to preventing the widespread issue of dating violence amongst young people. Unfortunately, dating and domestic violence is an issue too many teens have to encounter. According to Break the Cycle and the National Dating Abuse Helpline, one in three teens will experience abuse in a dating relationship and more than two-thirds of them will never report it to anyone.

Join Verizon Wireless in our efforts to address the growing issue of dating violence. Want to spread the message of dating violence prevention on your campus? UHopeLine, an extension of Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine® from Verizon, helps spread awareness of dating violence on college campuses and encourages students to give back to victims of domestic violence by donating no-longer-used wireless devices through student-hosted phones drives and permanent collection boxes. Donated devices are recycled or refurbished and turned into support for domestic violence victims in the form of phones with 3,000 minutes of free service or cash grants, which are then used to support domestic violence organizations across the country.

UHopeLine is making it easy for college students to get involved with the launch of a new online tool kit. This free kit includes prevention resources for students who wish to raise awareness of dating violence and give back to those who have been affected. The kit enables college administrators, student volunteer organizations and others interested in conducting outreach on college campuses to access the tools necessary to host phone drives and spread the message of prevention. Available resources include flyers, pledge cards and other printed materials to help launch dating and domestic violence awareness campaigns on campuses across the country.

The simplest act can make a difference! Interested in bringing UHopeLine to your campus? Visit www.verizonwireless.com/uhopeline to access resources, join the conversation on social media and find out more information on the program.

October is also National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month but it is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

HopeLine® from Verizon and the National Network to End Domestic Violence have teamed for a cross-country listening tour to collect and share the stories of people affected by domestic violence.

The public is invited to join them on a tour across the country to share their stories of hope and perseverance – uniting and inspiring the public to play an active role in ending domestic violence. Find out more about the program here.

Domestic violence touches all of us. Nearly one in four women, one in nine men, and over 3 million children have been affected by domestic violence. Wireless phones and technology can serve as a vital link to emergency or support services in a time of crisis or as a reliable, safe connection to employers, family and friends as survivors rebuild their lives.

What is HopeLine?

HopeLine® from Verizon puts the nation’s most reliable network to work in the community by turning no-longer used cell phones into support for domestic violence victims and survivors. Learn more.

According to the US Department Bureau of Justice Statistics:

• Black females experienced domestic violence at a rate 35 percent higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races
• Black males experienced domestic violence at a rate of about 62 percent higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races
• African Americans accounted for almost one-third of the intimate partner homicides in the country

Verizon Wireless' commitment to preventing domestic violence began in 1995 when it chose the name "Hopeline" because it embodied the positive difference the company intended to make in the areas of domestic violence awareness, prevention, and victim recovery. The HopeLine phone recycling and reuse program offers the following benefits to the community:

• Provides mobile phone users a way to help prevent domestic violence by donating no-longer used wireless phones and accessories
• Phones donated can help victims of abuse feel safer and less isolated by giving them a way to call emergency or support services, employers, family and friends
• Phone donations given locally benefit victims of abuse within that geographic area
• HopeLine donates cash grants to non-profit organizations to help fund education programs, support services, and community outreach

For more information, please visit http://aboutus.vzw.com/communityservice/hopeLine.html

















Article"Love Doesn't Hurt" http://sojournermarablegrimmett.blogspot.com/2011/07/domestic-violence-love-never-hurts.html