The Philadelphia Eagles and Verizon launch domestic abuse awareness campaign.
By Matt Schickling
Wire Staff Writer
The newly redesigned Verizon Smart Store in Bensalem hosted much more than smartphones last Tuesday, April 1, during its reopening.
On hand for the ribbon cutting were Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo, Verizon’s Philadelphia Tri-State President Rob Miller, Eagles tight end Brent Celek and, of course, Swoop, the beloved Eagles mascot. Those gathered celebrated the store’s new design, but the event was mostly coordinated to launch the Pass Along Hope campaign, a joint effort between the Eagles and Verizon to support area domestic violence shelters and organizations.
“This is an ongoing partnership with the Eagles,” said Miller. “Even in the fall, we did Backpacks for Pride, which is another program for domestic violence.”
For Backpacks for Pride, which started in November, Verizon employees donated their time to prepare backpacks for domestic abuse victims.
“Unfortunately, people in time of need who are victims of domestic violence don’t always have time to pack a toothbrush, to pack an extra pair of underwear and socks. We donate those, and the Eagles help,” said Miller.
The success of that partnership inspired the Pass Along Hope campaign. For this program, Eagles fans and community members are asked to donate mobile phones that are no longer in use and to tweet personal messages using the hashtag #EaglesVZWHope.
Verizon has committed to giving up to $15,000 — $1 for each donated phone and shared tweet — to the HopeLine Program, a resource for domestic abuse survivors.
HopeLine has been in place since 2001, and has collected over 10 million phones. In 2013, Verizon was able to donate $404,000 in cash grants to the Philadelphia Tri-State area through this program.
And their partnership with the Eagles should only bring more awareness to domestic violence issues.
“I think it’s great that the Eagles are partnering with Verizon,” said Celek. “I try to do as much as I can. This community has given me everything that I have, and I want to give back.”
Celek, who has been an Eagle since 2007, shied away from questions and speculation regarding the recent departure of his longtime teammate, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who was just released by the team for unspecified reasons. Just after the event, Jackson signed a three-year, $24 million deal with Eagles’ division rival, the Washington Redskins.
But Celek brought the focus back to the issue at hand.
“I wanted to raise awareness for domestic violence,” he said. “That’s why I’m here.”
After the opening, Celek set up shop at a table in the middle of the open-concept store with a stack of photos to sign autographs for Verizon customers and Eagles fans.
The design of the Verizon Smart Store is centered around making the shopping experience more personal by implementing “interactive lifestyle zones” where consumers are offered a “visual playground of devices and accessories.”
“This is the first Verizon Smart Store in Bucks County,” Miller said during the event. “And if you look around a little bit, it feels and it looks a lot different than Verizon stores you’ve been in before. That’s because we built it around lifestyles. Whether you are a music lover or a fitness guru, we have the lifestyle for you.”
In other words, the store is more consumer friendly. With its modern design, and tablet-wielding employees free to roam the store, greeting and assisting customers, Verizon hopes that the new concept will offer customers a more efficient way to shop.
Even Eagles mascot Swoop seemed to be enjoying himself. He strutted around the store, picking up and playing with smart phones and tablets at the various island-style displays.
Despite the fanfare, the event was about domestic violence awareness. During the launch, Verizon donated a $5,000 check to Pass Along Hope.
“For over 10 years, Verizon Wireless has been focused on raising awareness and helping fight domestic violence,” Miller said. “We’re really excited about this campaign.”
