Organization Hosts Cell Phone Drive for Domestic Violence Survivors

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Lt. Governor Simon joined The Network last week in order to raise awareness about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the organization's cell phone drive. (Photo Courtesy of Chicago Metropolitan Battered Womens Network)
Lt. Governor Simon joined The Network last week in order to raise awareness about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the organization's cell phone drive. (Photo Courtesy of Chicago Metropolitan Battered Womens Network)

Last week, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon and several community organizations rallied with the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Womens Network (The Network) at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The gathering was a call to action by Dawn Dalton, The Networks executive director and Lt. Governor Simon, for people to donate their unused cellular phones to the HopeLine phone drive which ran from Oct. 3-7. The donated phones will be refurbished or sold to purchase newer cell phones for domestic violence survivors.

Exclusive to Verizon Wireless, HopeLine puts technology and Verizons network to work in communities by turning no-longer-used wireless phones into support for victims of domestic violence and helps protect the environment by disposing of wireless phones in an environmentally sound way, according to its website.

For the last ten years, HopeLine has collected more than eight million phones and awarded more than $10 million in cash grants to domestic violence organizations throughout the country, according to a press release.

In addition, last year more than 36,000 phones were donated to the program in Illinois, totaling more than 4.5 million minutes in service and more than $100,000 in cash grants to aid domestic violence survivors statewide.

Verizon agreed to donate $10 to The Network for every phone donated. The proceeds will be allocated towards the organizations Domestic Violence Court Watch Project.

Dalton expressed the importance of raising awareness for programs that help domestic violence victims.

Most victims of domestic violence dont even know there are options out there, said Dalton. They dont know that there are shelters, court advocacy services, legal services, counseling for themselves or their children, but they are there. So were working throughout this month, and of course the rest of the year, to raise awareness.

Simon also echoed Daltons thoughts.

We want to be aware of what we can do as friends so that they can get help; our job as friends is really important, said Simon. Domestic violence is something that we all have a need to address, and we all have a need to support our friends going through that.

The Illinois Department of Public Health cites about one out of every four women in America will be physically assaulted or raped by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. In fact, American women are more likely to be assaulted, injured, raped or killed by a male partner than by any other type of assailant.

For more information about The Network please log on to batteredwomensnetwork.org

Those not in immediate danger and seeking help with domestic violence should call the Illinois Department of Human Services Domestic Violence Helpline at 877-To End DV (877-863-6338).

by Thelma Sardin

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