LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Verizon today announced $100,000 in grants to 11 Kentucky nonprofits focused on preventing and raising awareness about domestic violence and providing direct support to residents throughout the Commonwealth.

Grants to entities in the Louisville area were given to:

• MensWork: Eliminating Violence Against Women, Inc. – $15,000 to expand the “Voice Your Opposition” social marketing campaign that encourages men and boys to speak out against behavior that could lead to sexual or domestic violence;
• University of Louisville Hospital Trauma Institute - $15,000 for an educational and intervention program for high-risk youth between 13 and 17, who have been admitted to the Louisville Day Treatment Program, to change their attitudes and expectations about domestic violence;
• The Center for Women and Families – $10,000 to support the free, 24-hour front-line crisis counseling services the Center offers from its downtown Louisville facility;
• Legal Aid Society of Louisville – $5,000 to help provide free legal services for more than 500 domestic violence survivors;
• Alzheimer’s Association’s Greater Kentucky & Southern Indiana Chapter – $5,000 to supplement the organization’s elder abuse prevention programs.

Elsewhere in Kentucky, Verizon announced grants to Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program, Lexington; University of  Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women, Lexington; Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, Frankfort;  Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center, Paducah; Oasis, Inc. Owensboro; and WestCare, which provides services in Estill, Madison, Powell and Clarke counties.

“Each of the organizations honored today plays a crucial role in helping the survivors my prosecutors work with daily escape the cycle of abuse and exploitation,” said Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell.  “I am grateful for the important work they do and for Verizon’s financial commitment to the survivors of domestic violence.”

University of Louisville Hospital is among the recipients.  Its Trauma Institute will use a $15,000 grant to create and implement an intervention program.  “It’s our hope that through programs targeting at-risk populations, we can change behavioral expectations and attitudes toward domestic violence to reduce the number of victims,” said University of Louisville Hospital President/CEO, Jim Taylor.”

“Verizon’s goal is to help break the cycle of domestic violence in the Commonwealth by supporting outstanding organizations in Kentucky that have a track record of success with public outreach and education to prevent future violence, as well as programs that serve women and families who have survived abuse,” said John Granby, president–Kentucky/Indiana/Michigan Region, Verizon Wireless.

The $100,000 in funding comes from the Verizon Foundation and HopeLine^® from Verizon. HopeLine from Verizon collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any wireless service provider. Verizon then provides wireless phones and airtime to nonprofit organizations for use by domestic violence survivors as well as cash grants to local shelters and nonprofits that focus on prevention, awareness and advocacy.  Phones that cannot be refurbished are recycled in an environmentally sound way under a zero landfill policy.

In 2010, Kentuckians donated more than 3,200 no-longer-used wireless phones to HopeLine from Verizon. Verizon gave $17,000 in grants to Kentucky programs that year and more than 1 million minutes to domestic violence survivors in the state.

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About the Verizon Foundation

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 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.