Monday, March 10, 2014 ~ Today I completed my portion of the Hopeline from Verizon Project.

The Hopeline Project is where the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCADV) and Domestic Violence Shelters come together with Verizon and provide wireless telephones to aid in the safety, convenience and peace of mind for victims of domestic violence. Each phone is equipped with 3,000 voice minutes and 9,000 text messages that can be used anytime within the Prepaid Coverage Area. The minutes and text messages will expire in one year. Each phone will include Verizon Wireless Domestic Long Distance service where the victim can use minutes for long distance calls to anyone in the USA. The calling features include Caller ID, Call Waiting, No Answer/Busy transfer and Call Forwarding. Voice Mail hold up to 20 threeminute messages for up to 21 days. Each phone will hold up to 20 three-minute messages for up to 21 days. And most importantly, free voice alerts will prompt at the beginning and end of each call to keep the victim up to date on the account. The most tedious portion of my project involved programming each phone with a wireless number and establishing individual passwords. The DCADV, Domestic Violence Shelters, and Delaware Police Departments will provide phones to domestic violence victims as needed. This was probably my most rewarding experience so far. The message for me has always been loud and clear that addressing domestic violence should be a foremost and direct responsibility of community leaders and a collective responsibility of our community members. Domestic violence remains one of Americas most under-reported crimes for a multitude of reasons. Included in these are individual perceptions of stigma, difficulty sharing details of an extremely personal nature, as well as investigative, judicial, and supporting activity responses. Cultural change must occur in order to encourage victims of domestic violence to report. I believe with a collaborative effort between DCADV, Domestic Violence shelters, and Delaware Police Departments maybe we can achieve synergistic solutions to eradicating domestic violence within our community. I believe prevention should be a never-ending commitment. It requires continuing education and training, continuing emphasis by community leaders on standards and values, visible support for victims, and deterrents.