Verizon Wireless Funds Small Business Training Program for Domestic Violence Survivors in the Southeast
NORCROSS, GA – Women Are Dreamers Too (WADT), a non-profit Business Technical training for Domestic Violence Survivors, received a $10,000 grant from Verizon Wireless, owner an operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless voice network, for South Eastern Program Development
NORCROSS, GA (PRWEB) November 23, 2005
Women Are Dreamers Too (WADT), a non-profit Business Technical training for Domestic Violence Survivors, received a $10,000 grant from Verizon Wireless, owner an operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless voice network, for South Eastern Program Development.
The issue of Domestic Violence in our community, and the cycle of poverty, (a result of batterer-generated economic burden) plagues abused-victims and their children. This grant from Verizon Wireless will support the organization’s business planning, life skills and Internet marketing classes. The business planning class is an intensive, 12-week program designed to help WADT candidates sharpen the skills needed to create, manage, and grow a successful business. The Life Skills courses are specifically designed for entrepreneurial success, using teaching strategies such as modeling and role-playing to help individuals increase self-reliance, self-confidence and promote self-responsibility. Lastly, WADT’s Internet Marketing & E-Commerce program is designed to provide micro businesses with the knowledge, skills, services and technology required to establish and maintain a professional web presence.
Each year, an estimated 1.5 million women and 834,000 men are physically abused by their current or former intimate partner or spouse, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. Additionally, one in four American women state that they are or have been physically abused by an intimate partner. In 2002, there were 61, 355 occurrences of family violence in Georgia, and nearly 80% of the aggressors were male. Nearly 5.3 million intimate partner victimizations occur each year among women in the United States, resulting in close to 2 million injuries annually.
“Opportunities like this give us the chance to call attention to this silent epidemic, while helping to educate our community on the prevalence and extent of violence perpetrated against women. We believe that education is the key to ending domestic abuse,” says Cindy Williams, Executive Director, Women Are Dreamers, Too. “Domestic violence destroys people, families and communities everyday. We applaud Verizon Wireless’ commitment to programs like ours that specifically address the needs of domestic violence survivors and help them become economically self-sufficient.”
A long-time supporter of domestic violence awareness and prevention, Verizon Wireless regularly supports community organizations with both grants and in-kind donations. Through its HopeLine program, Verizon Wireless focuses primarily on putting wireless products and services to work to prevent domestic violence. It dedicates its resources to both the prevention of domestic violence and the life rebuilding process. Verizon Wireless' HopeLine phone recycling program collects previously owned wireless handsets to be refurbished, recycled and/or sold.
“Verizon Wireless is always committed to the communities in which we live and work, and we are especially committed to helping address the devastating problem of domestic violence,” said Jim McGean, president of Georgia and Alabama for Verizon Wireless. “Women Are Dreamers Too’s programs provide a valuable service to everyone in our communities, building important entrepreneurial businesses and creating successful business owners. We appreciate the role we play to help these survivors enter the small business marketplace.”
“Domestic violence doesn’t only leave physical scars; it leaves deep emotional wounds and directly impacts the survivor’s self-esteem and self-worth. Survivors of domestic violence often have a difficult time re-entering the workforce, due to low self-esteem. Owning and operating a business boosts confidence and significantly improves earning potentials among participants,” says Williams.
About Women Are Dreamers Too
Women Are Dreamers Too is a Non-Profit 501 c 3 Business Technical training for survivors of Domestic Violence. Headquartered in Norcross, GA. WADT provides a Business Development and Life Skills Curriculum with counseling services to aid survivors of domestic Violence and their children. For more information, visit: http://wadt. org (http://wadt. org), Phone: 678/421-0191
“Our curriculum is intense because WADT’s candidates have to be very competitive in a competitive business world, while recognizing the deep scars within, so we incorporated our PUSH Dream Book as an added resource to our Entrepreneurial Business Training Manual”- C. Williams, Ph. D. WADT
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 49.3 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www. verizonwireless. com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www. verizonwireless. com/multimedia (http://www. verizonwireless. com/multimedia).
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