I usually share something cool that happens to another organization courtesy of the companies that we work with here at the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV). Today I am writing about a wonderful contribution we received to further our work to make domestic violence "Everybody's Business."
On November 30, 2010, Verizon Wireless announced that the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV) is receiving a $30,000 donation from HopeLine® from Verizon, aiding CAEPV in its mission to help businesses address the impact of domestic violence in the workplace.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), intimate partner violence victims lose a total of nearly 8 million days of paid work a year, the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs, and the cost of domestic violence to the U.S. economy is more than $8.3 billion. A 2005 national telephone survey by CAEPV found that 21 percent of full-time employed adults were victims of domestic violence and 64 percent of them indicated their work performance was significantly impacted.
The HopeLine from Verizon donation will help CAEPV fund educational programs and webinars that help increase employer awareness of domestic violence as a workplace issue and offer strategies for how employers can recognize and respond to this issue.
"Domestic violence can affect people of all backgrounds in all aspects of their lives, including the workplace," said Elva Lima, executive director of community relations for Verizon Wireless. "We're honored to partner with organizations like CAEPV that are working to increase awareness of domestic violence outside the home and providing much needed tools and resources to help reduce partner violence."
The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the costs and consequences of partner violence at work – and eliminating it altogether. From policies and programs to legal issues and legislation, CAEPV is a credible source for information, materials and advice.
"We are very grateful to receive this donation from Verizon Wireless and for their ongoing dedication to preventing domestic violence both within the workplace and in communities," said Kim Wells, executive director of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. "Domestic violence doesn't stop at the door when employees go to work, and the HopeLine donation allows us to further raise awareness and help workplaces manage this issue."
The long-running HopeLine program puts the nation's most reliable wireless network to work in the community by turning no-longer-used wireless phones into support for those affected by domestic violence. Proceeds from the HopeLine program are used to provide wireless phones and airtime to victims of domestic violence and cash grants to local shelters and nonprofit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention, awareness and advocacy. Learn more about HopeLine at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnkDUsmkQlk.
For more information on HopeLine from Verizon, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline. To learn more about CAEPV, visit www.caepv.org.
We are so excited to be able to invest these funds in changing the landscape of society by addressing domestic violence as a workplace issue. More to come!
CAEPV Member Liz Claiborne Inc. and it’s partners have been joining forces for It's Time to Talk Day annually as a way to encourage greater public dialogue about domestic violence. The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence is proud to be one of those partners.
Liz Claiborne Inc. created It’s Time to Talk Day to draw major national attention to the importance of talking about domestic violence, teen dating violence and intimate partner abuse.
This year, they are continuing their very successful partnership with Talk Radio News Service by sponsoring their annual “Talk Radio Row on Domestic Violence” at Liz Claiborne Inc. headquarters in New York City.
Around the country, talk radio, government officials, domestic violence advocates, businesses, schools and the public-at-large take a moment - or more - to talk openly about an issue that affects nearly one in three women at some point in their lifetime. In fact, millions of talk radio listeners around the country were reached with the message since the inception of It’s Time to Talk Day in 2004.
Leading national and local talk radio hosts will once again conduct back-to-back interviews with guests on various domestic violence issues throughout the entire day.
Partners for 2010 include Seventeen, the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL), MTV’s digital abuse campaign “A Thin Line,” Love is Louder, Verizon Foundation and Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation -- joining domestic violence advocates and experts, attorneys general, local, state and federal legislators, celebrities, corporate and government leaders, parents and teens on air to talk about what we can do to end domestic violence and teen dating abuse, how we can get involved in prevention, and how and where victims can get help.
Radio Row will begin at morning drive time, 5 a.m., and will end about 7 p.m. EST. Every hour, a group of different featured guests will be interviewed by the talk radio hosts on the air at that time.
You can make a difference by hosting an It's Time to Talk Day event in your community. For the past several years cities and organizations from around the country held various programs to raise awareness of the issue. Programs and events have ranged from big, organized efforts such as press conferences, walks and vigils, to creative projects such as plays, and lastly educational efforts were made to devote this day to teaching the curriculum at local schools. For event ideas for your community, click here.
"Just save one life...just one." Deidri Fishel
That quote really struck me and stuck with me.
It is from the "Telling Amy's Story" Leadership Video that you can find at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo3ODIuLOJQ. Detective Fishel is talking about what we can all do to make a difference in the lives of a domestic violence victim..ultimately perhaps saving a life.
Isn't it worth it? Saving a life?
And what if your workplace policies could make a difference? I mean, more than what it would save you in productivity, in employee turnover, in absenteeism...more than the prevention of a potential workplace violence incident on your property?
I can certainly convince you of all of those reasons...and the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence can provide you the resources and training and practices you need to help your workplace for all of those reasons. That is what we do.
What does saving a life mean to you? If you could do it through your workplace policies and programs...would you? Visit http://www.caepv.org to learn more.
