Texas Council on Family Violence receives $50,000 grant from Verizon to help domestic violence agencies recover from Hurricane Harvey

HOUSTON, Sept. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon today announced a grant to support Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in addition to its $10 million commitment previously pledged. A $50,000 HopeLine^® from Verizon grant will go to the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) to assist South Texas domestic violence agencies that were in the path of Harvey and suffered the devastating effects of the storm.

Each year, over 72,000 Texans are served by domestic violence providers.

"Harvey impacted 32 domestic violence providers in the greater Houston and coastal areas of Texas. Yet, the people in their care were in the absolute best and safest place possible. Facing a disaster of this magnitude and the aftermath that follows, there is no one better equipped at trauma-informed, crisis response than a domestic violence advocate. There is no doubt this will be a long recovery and Texas domestic violence services will be central to that recovery," said Gloria Aguilera Terry, CEO Texas Council on Family Violence. "Verizon's philanthropic leadership allows the critical needs for an already vulnerable population to be met."

A longstanding supporter of domestic violence awareness and prevention, Verizon launched the HopeLine program in 2001. HopeLine provides consumers the opportunity to donate no-longer-used wireless phones and accessories in any condition from any service provider to benefit victims and survivors of domestic violence. Items donated to HopeLine are turned into valuable financial support for domestic violence awareness and prevention initiatives across the country. In 2016, Verizon collected over 573,000 phones through HopeLine and distributed over $8 million in cash grants to domestic violence organizations nationwide.

"We continue to see the effects of Harvey. Like many in our community, local domestic violence agencies are looking for help as they work to continue serving their clients and deal with a new normal at the same time," Krista Bourne – president, South Central Market for Verizon Wireless.  "TCFV has been a beacon of hope for domestic violence agencies and Verizon is proud to support its efforts."

Verizon is committed to helping the community recover. In addition to this donation, Verizon previously announced a $10 million pledge to three recipients - The Greater Houston Community Foundation-Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund for Houston, The One Star Foundation and Salvation Army Southern Territory – and a fourth that will be named in the future. These funds are earmarked for both the immediate and long-term relief and recovery efforts in the areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

About Verizon's Support of Hurricane Harvey
Verizon has committed $10 million to regional non-profit agencies to aid recovery for South East Texas. Verizon is offering support to impacted customers by offering data, text and voice relief to postpaid customers and an extra 3GB of free data to prepaid customers in South Texas counties impacted by the hurricane 8/26-9/15. Residents can visit their local Verizon-owned store to make free calls, access the Internet and charge their devices, regardless of their wireless provider. Store visitors will find relief pricing including 40% off accessories, such as chargers, waived upgrade and activation fees, and special deals on devices. Additionally, our employees have been working around the clock to ensure our customers and the community can stay connected to friends, family and other important contacts over the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. We have staged additional equipment including Cells on Wheels (COWs), and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTS) to supplement service in areas of South Texas that need extra network capacity. We have also coordinated with state and federal emergency contacts to deploy Wireless Emergency Communication Centers which are generator-powered mobile units on tractor trailers that have device charging and computer workstations, and wireless phones, tablets and other devices to further service the community during recovery.

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Media contact:
Jeannine Brew
972.444.5233
[email protected]
Twitter: @JeannineBrew

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