GRAND LEDGE, Mich.— Elementary school children in mid-Michigan will benefit from a $5,000 donation made by Verizon Wireless to the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Eaton County, an organization that promotes the prevention of child abuse and neglect through education, collaboration and advocacy within the community.

The grant will help fund a theatrical performance, called the “Bubbylonian Encounter” that is designed specifically for elementary school children. The production uses humor, drama and audience participation to teach children to say “no” when faced with possible abuse.

“Sadly, children need to learn to protect themselves from sexual abuse and the Bubbylonian Encounter is highly successful in accomplishing this,” said Cheryl Knapf-Haddock, executive director, Child Abuse Prevention Council of Eaton County. “With the generous support of Verizon Wireless, we were able to bring this program to 1,566 children last year. We appreciate Verizon’s ongoing support of our program.”

The Child Abuse Prevention Council believes the key to progress in the fight against child abuse is an informed and aware public. The Council targets programs and awareness efforts to the highest risk groups of parents and caregivers, with the goal to reduce and prevent injuries and deaths of children due to child abuse and neglect.

“We value the important work that the Child Abuse Prevention Council does in our community,” said John Granby, president, Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky Region, Verizon Wireless. “This HopeLine grant reinforces our commitment to end domestic violence in all its forms.”

The $5,000 gift was made possible by the Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program, which converts no-longer-used wireless phones into support for survivors of domestic violence. Since 2001, HopeLine has collected more than 8 million phones, awarded more than $10 million in cash grants to prevention and awareness programs nationwide, and donated more than 106,000 HopeLine phones with 319 million minutes of airtime to victims, survivors and domestic violence organizations throughout the country.

Last year in Michigan, Verizon Wireless and the Verizon Foundation donated nearly $200,000 in cash grants to local domestic violence agencies and shelters. Verizon Wireless and HopeLine also donated 3 million minutes of service to help domestic violence survivors in Michigan in 2010.

HopeLine wireless phone donations are accepted at all Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the nation, including Lansing area stores located at:

• 209 E. Grand River Ave. in East Lansing

• 5202 W. Saginaw Highway in Lansing

• 5330 W. Saginaw Highway in Lansing (Lansing Mall)

• 1930 W. Grand River Ave. in Okemos

Phones given to the HopeLine program are refurbished and resold for reuse or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. For more information on the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

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About Verizon Wireless in Michigan
In Michigan, Verizon Wireless has more than 2,100 employees and 65 company-owned retail locations in more than 50 cities, including Allen Park, Alpena, Alpine Township, Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Battle Creek, Bay City, Brighton, Burton, Canton, Clinton Township, Dearborn, Detroit, East Lansing, Escanaba, Farmington Hills, Fenton, Flint, Fort Gratiot, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Grandville, Highland Park, Holland, Houghton, Iron Mountain, Jackson, Kentwood, Lake Orion, Lansing, Livonia, Marquette, Midland, Monroe, Muskegon, Northville, Novi, Okemos, Petoskey, Pontiac, Portage, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, Saginaw, St. Clair Shores, St. Joseph, Southfield, Taylor, Traverse City, Troy, Utica, Warren and Westland. About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 94 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 82,000 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.