As the Spring Cleaning Urge Hits, Please Keep HopeLine in Mind for Recycling Old Cellphones

More than 1,300 police and law enforcement officers, firefighters, rescue personnel, Department of Corrections employees, elected officials, media and business leaders gathered on March 15th for the 39th annual Montgomery County Public Safety Awards ceremony to celebrate the bravery and valor of those who dedicate their lives to protecting our community.

More than two dozen Montgomery County public safety personnel were honored for the service and sacrifices they make every day to ensure our well-being.  In addition to honoring these heroic individuals, the Chamber also recognized Verizon for its role in helping a public safety agency transform and advance its mission by bestowing on the company its 2013 Public Safety Corporate Vital Link Award.

In recognizing Verizon, Montgomery County Sheriff Darren Popkin, noted the
company’s partnership efforts with public safety and, in particular, its
ongoing support of the Montgomery County Family Justice Center (MCFJC).  Since the Center first opened in 2009, Verizon has contributed innovative
technologies to help enhance victim safety and improve communications.
Among the technology solutions that Verizon has donated to the MCFJC is
videoconferencing equipment that connects domestic violence victims who visit
the Center with judges in the county courthouse.  As a result of this
technology, victims have been able to receive protective orders more quickly
and from the safety, security and comfort of the center, thus reducing the
number of places a victim has to travel to for services and eliminating the
possibility of having to face her abuser in court.

The contributions from Verizon were funded, in part, through the company’s HopeLine® Phone Recycling Program, which collects used cell phones to be recycled or sold and donates the proceeds in the form of cash grants and pre-paid wireless phones to advocacy groups for use by survivors.  Since 2001, HopeLine has collected more than 10 million phones for recycling; kept over 200 tons of electronic wastes and batteries out of landfills; provided 151,000 free phones to victims needing a lifeline; and awarded nearly $18 million in cash grants to local non-profit organizations.

Contributions of old wireless equipment to HopeLine are accepted at all Verizon
Wireless stores or can be mailed directly to the recycler by downloading a
free, postage-paid label by visiting:  http://aboutus.verizonwireless.com/communityservice/HopeLineLabel.pdf.

As the urge for “spring cleaning” hits, please keep HopeLine in mind as
you rid your desk drawers and storage closets of no-longer-needed chargers,
cellphone batteries and other wireless accessories. Your contributions will be
turned into support for victims of domestic violence and local agencies like
the Montgomery County Family Justice Center.