Nov. 9, 2009 (PR Newswire) -- BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- In 11 cities from coast to coast, participating choirs and attendees of the second annual Verizon Wireless How Sweet the Sound(TM) competition donated no-longer-used wireless phones to the company's HopeLine® program to benefit domestic violence victims. In recognition of these donations, Verizon Wireless presented the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) with $25,000 to support its Women of Color Leadership Initiative during the tour's finale concert held Saturday night in Detroit.

The NNEDV is a membership and advocacy organization of state domestic violence coalitions and allied organizations representing approximately 3,000 groups nationwide. The NNEDV will use the $25,000 donation to further its Women of Color Leadership Initiative, which works to ensure that representatives from minority or marginalized communities are actively engaged in program and policy development and helps women of color become leaders in domestic violence awareness from a national, state and local standpoint.

"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Verizon Wireless for its longstanding support and its commitment to ending domestic abuse," said Sue Else, president of the NNEDV. "The economic downturn is exacerbating domestic violence, and Verizon Wireless is stepping up to the plate and doing something about it."

In addition to the donation to NNEDV, the artwork displayed in each city on the How Sweet the Sound Tour is being given to local domestic violence agencies. The fine art pieces reflect local artists' interpretation of the competition in their home cities.

The $25,000 donation is the result of choirs and concert attendees donating nearly 8,000 old wireless phones. Choirs held HopeLine drives in their communities, then brought the phones to the competition sites to donate to Verizon Wireless' well-established program. Verizon Wireless presented the choir that donated the most wireless phones in each city with $1,000 in cash. The top collecting choirs were:

--  Washington, D.C. - The Remnant Concert Choir from Mt. Ararat Baptist
Church (Washington, D.C.)
--  Oakland, CA - Angelic Voices of Deliverance Center Choir from East
Oakland Faith Deliverance Center (Oakland, CA)
--  St.