Carrier Verizon Wireless and MLB's Oakland Athletics are teaming up to help curb domestic violence.

Fans who attended Oakland A's home games through Aug. 30 were invited to donate used mobile phones and accessories to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program to benefit survivors of domestic violence. A HopeLine phone recycling station is located behind section 119 in the McAfee Coliseum, and anyone can donate no-longer-used phones and accessories year-round at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store.

"Verizon Wireless has marketing sponsorships with major league sports teams across the country, and our sponsorships are part of our overall marketing strategy," said Heidi Flato, Walnut Creek, CA-based manager of public relations and employee communications for Verizon Wireless' Northern California and Nevada region.

"In addition to advertising and branding, we look for ways to partner with the teams on community outreach projects," she said. "We strongly believe that it's important to give back to the communities in which we work and live."

The A's promoted the phone drive and the charitable donation to their fan base with a public service announcement, in-stadium shout-outs and online promotion.

Verizon Wireless also publicized the partnership through media outreach.

On Saturday, Aug. 30, A's pitcher Huston Street met fans and signed autographs at the Verizon Wireless retail store in San Leandro, CA.

At a ceremony during the A's home game on Aug. 28, representatives from the Oakland Athletics and Verizon Wireless presented the Korean Community Center of the East Bay with a combined charitable contribution of $12,365 to support the agency's Shimtuh program.

Currently Shimtuh is the only domestic violence program serving the Korean Community in Northern California.

The A's have collected more than 400 devices for the HopeLine phone drive.

"Because domestic violence awareness and prevention is Verizon Wireless' primary focus, we asked the Oakland A's if they'd like to partner on a campaign to highlight the cause and raise awareness among their fan base," Ms. Flato said.

"The A's responded positively and have helped us with a cell phone recycling drive and they've partnered with us on the charitable contributing to the Korean Community Center of the East Bay," she said.

Through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program, used mobile phones, batteries and accessories from any service provider are recycled or refurbished and sold.

Verizon Wireless uses the proceeds to award grants and wireless phones with airtime to nonprofit human services and law enforcement agencies to aid survivors of domestic violence.

Verizon Wireless has awarded more than $400,000 in HopeLine grants to domestic violence prevention agencies in California in each of the past two years, as well as more than 2,400 HopeLine wireless phones during the past two years, each with one year of airtime, to domestic violence agencies throughout the state.

Verizon Wireless serves 68.7 million customers nationwide.

Donations for the HopeLine phone-recycling program are accepted at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store across the country.

"HopeLine, created in 1995, is now a multifaceted program that includes a successful phone recycling and re-use effort, financial support for local and national domestic violence organizations, community and corporate awareness programs and partnerships with law enforcement agencies, professional sports teams, educational institutions and corporations nationwide," Ms. Flato said.