WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to raise awareness and end domestic violence, Verizon and District of Columbia Councilmember Muriel Bowser joined on Thursday (Oct. 30) to honor several nonprofits that are working to combat abuse against youth and adults in the nation's capital. 

The Verizon Foundation has awarded $115,000 in grants this year to assist these D.C. nonprofits in their efforts.

Domestic violence and emotional abuse affect people who are married, unmarried, heterosexual, gay or lesbian, living together, separated or dating. The violence takes many forms and can happen constantly or once in a while.

"Domestic violence is never justified nor will it be tolerated in our city," said Councilmember Bowser. "It destroys families and leaves physical, mental and psychological scars for years beyond the actual trauma. This must stop. I commend these organizations and concerned corporate citizens like Verizon for stepping up to help those who need it most."

During the special ceremony, the following Verizon Foundation grant recipients were recognized for their work in the community:

• Asian-Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project, for its Survivors Services Program that provides critical, life-saving services for DV survivors, including individual and group mental health counseling, DV education and screening, case management, and referrals to health and community services.

• Dance Institute of Washington, for implementing a DV education and prevention program focused on recognizing dating violence and building healthy relationships among diverse teens and young adults.

• House of Ruth, for its Domestic Violence Support Center that provides mental health services and individual and group therapy that helps women establish emotional and physical safety, reduce anxiety, build cognitive skills, establish goals for the future and experience feelings without impulsively acting on them.

• Latin American Youth Center, for its Healthy Relationships program that educates young adults about the warning signs of abusive dating relationships, building healthy relationships, developing leadership skills to facilitate peer education opportunities and public awareness campaigns.

• Mary's Center for Maternal & Child Care, for mental health and support services to DV victims, including individual and group counseling, health services referrals, help in understanding healthy relationships, learning how to identify when one is in danger, assessing the impact of domestic violence on children and families and learning about available resources.

• Neighborhood Legal Services Program, for a domestic violence prevention and safety education program for young adults living in Wards 7 and 8 that includes workshops on how to develop healthy relationships, identify acceptable and unacceptable behavior, respond to situations of dating violence, handle the consequences of domestic abuse and access the community services available.

• Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment (DC Safe), for a multifaceted program that uses government and nonprofit partnerships to offer immediate access to a safe space and one-on-one support from a certified domestic violence advocate who offers timely access to vital services.

• The DC Center, for implementing a program designed to address domestic and intimate partner violence in D.C.'s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. Workshops teach participants about the different facets of healthy relationships to include healthy dating and power dynamics in relationships.

According to Anthony A. Lewis, Verizon's mid-Atlantic region vice president of state government affairs, "Domestic violence is a serious but preventable crime that affects millions of Americans in every segment of society. Domestic violence victims face many challenges.  Verizon has focused resources and funding for a number of years to help break this vicious cycle and make a meaningful impact on these victims' lives."

For nearly 20 years, Verizon has been committed to supporting domestic violence prevention, awareness and victim recovery efforts through various local and national initiatives, including HopeLine from Verizon. This program connects survivors of domestic violence to vital resources, funds organizations nationwide and recycles unusable phones to help protect the environment. Since 2001, the company has collected more than 10.8 million phones, donated more than $21.4 million in cash grants and provided more than 180,000 phones with wireless service to domestic violence organizations nationwide.

Now, to give a voice to those who need it most, Verizon has created Because Voices Have Power – a campaign asking people across the country to submit a message of hope to domestic violence victims and survivors. For every message of hope submitted, Verizon will donate $3 toward supporting proven and innovative dating and domestic violence prevention programs produced by the company's national and local campaign partners. For more information, visit www.verizonfoundation.org. 

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 106 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 178,500. For more information, visit www.verizon.com/news/.

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SOURCE Verizon