The Professional Staff Assembly and Women’s Resource Center are asking all students and faculty to donate old cellphones, batteries and accessories throughout March to benefit victims of domestic violence. In conjunction with Verizon’s HopeLine project, the PSA and WRC are working to help domestic violence victims recover by providing them with both monetary and technological aid. “A phone gives that person that has been a victim the confidence to know that they can contact someone if they want to or if another emergency arises,” said Julie Elmore, co-chair of the PSA’s service and outreach committee and assistant director of off-campus and greek housing. According to the Verizon HopeLine website, “wireless phones and technology can serve as a vital link to emergency or support services in a time of crisis or as a reliable, safe connection to employers, family and friends as survivors rebuild their lives.” Elmore said once the PSA receives the donated phones and batteries, it transfers them to the WRC, which will in turn send the devices to Verizon for processing. In exchange for the donated phones, Verizon will give the WRC a grant to continue its work serving the Tuscaloosa community. The program is willing to accept cellphones in any condition. Devices in good shape will be wiped clean of the previous owner’s personal information and loaded with 3,000 calling minutes. Following the refurbishment, they will be distributed to community organizations that target victims of domestic violence. According to the PSA’s press release for the program, “those [phones] that cannot be refurbished are destroyed in an environmentally friendly manner.” “This program really benefits the community, and it benefits the University,” Elmore said. “Members of the community are receiving the tools they need to help recover from domestic violence, the phones aren’t just being put in a landfill somewhere and leaking stuff into the ground, and the Women’s Resource Center is getting more money to continue helping out.” According to Verizon, domestic violence is a dangerously prevalent problem faced by people in communities across the nation and world with “nearly one in four women, one in nine men and over three million children [having] been affected by domestic violence.” The WRC has teamed up with HopeLine in the past, but this is the first year the PSA has dialed into the program. Elmore said she and Mary Thornton, fellow committee co-chair and Rose Towers community director, decided to get involved after being prompted by some inspiration from home. “I have a teenage son who is always getting a new cellphone, so there are a lot of old ones just sitting around at the house. I really wanted to do something with all these old cellphones,” she said. “So we called around and found out about this program, and [Thornton] and I decided the PSA should get on board.” Elmore said the deadline to donate is March 30, and the PSA’s goal is to have received 300 phones by that date; so far, the program has collected 162. Elmore is confident any number will have a positive impact but encourages anyone with old, unwanted technology to consider contributing to the cause. Staff interested in donating may contact their department’s PSA representative, while students should contact Elmore or Thornton for instructions at [email protected] or [email protected].