Verizon Wireless Joins With Gonzaga To Give A HopeLine® To Survivors Of Domestic Violence In Washington

Bulldog Fans Encouraged to Donate Used Phones at McCarthey Athletic Center this Saturday.

SPOKANE, WA — For the first time, Verizon Wireless is joining forces with the Gonzaga University Bulldogs to help curb domestic violence with the company’s HopeLine national phone recycling program that has collected over 6.5 million phones nationally since 2001.

Fans attending the game against Loyola Marymount on Saturday, January 23 at 5 pm are encouraged to donate used wireless phones and accessories (from any carrier) to benefit survivors of domestic violence through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program. Drop boxes will be located around McCarthey Athletic Center entrances by 10 am; gates will open at 3:30 pm. In addition, the drop boxes will be available for phone and equipment donations all week prior to Saturday’s game.

"The Gonzaga University Athletics Department is pleased to partner with Verizon Wireless on this important cause. The HopeLine program continues to be a source of great support for victims of domestic violence,” said Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth. "We ask our fans to help support this worthwhile cause.”

Nationally, only about 10% of wireless phones are recycled each year. Through the HopeLine program, tons of electronic waste and batteries are kept from entering landfills—and used wireless phones, batteries and accessories from any service provider are then recycled, refurbished and sold. Verizon Wireless uses the proceeds to award grants and wireless phones with airtime to non-profit human services and law enforcement agencies to aid survivors of domestic violence.

In 2008, Washingtonians donated more than 34,000 used phones to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program. The used equipment collections resulted in $312,000 in HopeLine grants, wireless phones and airtime contributions benefitting 19 Washington shelters and domestic violence education programs.

Since HopeLine’s national phone recycling and re-use 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 in the U.S.
* Distributed more than 80,000 phones with more than 240 million minutes of free airtime and other features valued at more than $24 million to be used by victims of domestic violence
* Properly disposed of more than 1 million no-longer-used wireless phones in an environmentally sound way
* Kept more than 200 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of landfills

Wireless phones and equipment can be donated to the HopeLine program year-round at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store across the country.