Domestic and Sexual Violence Services of Carbon County (DSVS), a non-profit agency serving families whose lives have been touched by the national epidemic of domestic violence, recently received a Verizon Wireless HopeLine® grant of $5,000 to expand its prevention work in Carbon County schools. Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine program supports domestic violence prevention and awareness programs nationwide.

“This generous donation from Verizon Wireless will help us to continue to provide critical prevention programming focusing on teen dating violence, healthy relationships and conflict resolution,” said Allison Smith-Estelle, Executive Director at DSVS. “Verizon Wireless has also provided us with cell phones for our clients, which is often a critical lifeline for them. Verizon is just a great advocate and partner of domestic violence organizations nationwide.”

“When we began the HopeLine program more than a decade ago, our primary mission was to put phones in the hands of domestic violence victims for emergencies. Today, recycling makes more phones available for them and generates funds – from the sale of refurbished phones – that are donated to non-profit organizations like DSVS” said Melanie Braidich, Regional President of Verizon Wireless.

HopeLine phone donations are accepted at all Verizon Wireless Communications stores across the nation. For more information about HopeLine, visit http://www.verisonwireless.com/hopeline.

For more information about DSVS and its programs, call 446-2296 or visit "http://www.dsvsmontana.org. you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, please call the free, confidential, 24/7 Helpline at 425-2222.