Old cell phones at the Packers game will help fight domestic violence By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle Monday's Green Bay Packers game against the Tennessee Titans will give fans the chance to help domestic abuse victims through a phone drive. Employees will be standing at the entrances to collect used cell phones and cell phone accessories. Through Verizon Wireless' HopeLine Phone Recycling Program, the phones are refurbished and sold by a third party. Proceeds from the sale of refurbished phones are either used to buy phones for domestic abuse victims or are donated to nonprofit organizations. A cell phone from any carrier is usable in the program. Broken phones are repaired or their parts are salvaged. An Environmental Protection Agency-certified salvage company disposes them. The Golden House Family Violence Center in Green Bay benefits from the program. The center will receive 40 phones from Verizon Wireless, each with 3,000 prepaid minutes, to be used by domestic abuse victims. Since 1996, Cellcom also has aided the center by providing cell phones for shelter residents. With them, victims can call the center or police. The phones provided through the Verizon HopeLine program are intended to help victims make new contacts, in addition to connecting them with the police. The hope is victims can use the phones to contact employers, their children's school or family members as they make changes in their lives, said Carolyn Schamberger, spokeswoman for the Verizon Wireless program. Local phone calls are free. Schamberger said the program with Verizon began in 2001. "We realized we had a natural tool in the form of a wireless phone to really help victims," Schamberger said. Brooke Dey, victim advocate at Golden House FVC, said sometimes a domestic abuse victim's partner or spouse will tear phones off the wall in a fight. An abuser might be unaware that a victim has a phone, and the victim can use the phone as a surprise recourse in an emergency, she said. Some residents in the shelter fear encountering an abusive partner in public and a phone gives them a sense of security, she added. Verizon Wireless phones have helped 44 victims so far in 2004 at the Golden House FVC. Since 1995, more than 2 million wireless phones have been collected nationwide as part of HopeLine and associated phone recycling programs. Another company that was later bought by Verizon Wireless began the program in 1995. About $5 million nationwide have been generated from the HopeLine Program. Verizon Wireless is also donating $25 to domestic abuse prevention organizations with every point the Packers score. Donations are distributed within the state. Phones and accessories can be donated at any Verizon Wireless Communications store and at Lambeau Field on Monday from 6 p.m. until the start of the game. The Golden House FVC has a Donate a Phone program as well. Donors are asked to cancel service of any phone before donating it. Donations are accepted at 1120 University Ave. in Green Bay.