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Verizon Wireless and Oakland Athletics Team Up to Provide a HopeLine for Domestic Violence Survivors

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080829/AQF037)

Fans attending Oakland A's home games through August 30, 2008, are invited to donate used wireless phones and accessories to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine(R) program to benefit survivors of domestic violence. A HopeLine phone recycling station is located behind section 119 in the McAfee Coliseum. Anyone can donate no-longer-used cell phones and accessories year-round at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store. On Saturday, August 30, A's pitcher Huston Street will meet fans and sign autographs at the Verizon Wireless retail store at 1933 Davis Street inSan Leandro from 12-1 p.m.

At a ceremony during the A's home game on August 28, representatives from the Oakland Athletics and Verizon Wireless presented the Korean Community Center of the East Bay with a combined charitable contribution of $12,365 to support the agency's Shimtuh program. Currently Shimtuh is the only domestic violence program serving the Korean Community inNorthern California. For more information about the Korean Community Center of the East Bay, please visit http://www.kcceb.org.

Through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program, used wireless phones, batteries and accessories from any service provider are recycled, or 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.

"Verizon Wireless is proud to partner with the A's to help curb domestic violence," said Rich Garwood, regional president for Verizon Wireless. "Thanks in part to generous A's fans, we continue to grow our HopeLine program in California. Fans know that by bringing in old wireless phones and accessories they are helping domestic violence survivors in our community and making a difference for our environment."

Verizon Wireless has awarded more than $400,000 in HopeLine grants to domestic violence prevention agencies inCalifornia in each of the past two years, as well as more than 2,400 HopeLine wireless phones during the past two years, each with one year of airtime, to domestic violence agencies throughout the state.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 68.7 million customers. Headquartered inBasking Ridge, N.J., with 70,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: 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.

About HopeLine(R)

Verizon Wireless encourages customers who are upgrading their wireless phone to participate in its exclusive HopeLine phone-recycling program. The national HopeLine program distributes previously owned wireless phones to victims of domestic violence, supports non-profit domestic violence advocacy groups and provides an environmentally safe method of recycling phones. Donations are accepted at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store across the country. For additional information, customers can also visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless