On Oct. 19, the Colts will team up with HopeLine from Verizon Wireless to host a cell phone collection prior to the Colts vs. Bengals game. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers from Verizon Wireless and Coburn Place will collect cash as well as used cell phones and accessories in any condition to benefit Coburn Place Safe Haven. Donations will be collected at the Colts Community Collection Stations, presented by Toyota, located outside each Lucas Oil Stadium Gate.
The drive, first announced on Oct. 2, will be the second annual HopeLine phone collection drive in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month to benefit Coburn Place Safe Haven, an Indianapolis organization that has growing waiting lists for families in need of transitional housing. The Colts and HopeLine from Verizon pledged $20,000 with the goal of collecting 1,013 devices; to represent the number of children Coburn has helped since opening its doors in 1996.
Wireless phones given to HopeLine are refurbished. Refurbished phones – complete with 3,000 minutes of wireless service and text-messaging service – are provided to local domestic violence agencies or local government and law enforcement agencies for use with their domestic violence clients. If donated phones are unsalvageable, they are recycled in an environmentally sound way under a zero landfill policy.
“Many organizations are finding a greater need now for service due to the national dialogue about domestic violence,” said Verizon Wireless Region President Lauren Love-Wright. “Indiana is no different and organizations here continue to experience more women and families coming forward for help, support, programming and housing.”
The Colts Gameday Collections program will continue to run throughout the 2014 season with a different charitable collection held prior to each home game. Upcoming collections include the Sacking Hunger food drive, the DAMAR Services Collection and the WISH Tree Toy Drive. A complete list of future collections is available at Colts.com/collections.
