'What Does Lunar New Year Mean to You?' Asks Verizon Wireless

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- To kickoff its festivities for the Year of the Tiger in the Asian-American community throughout California and Seattle, Verizon Wireless is calling for entries in their Lunar New Year Essay Contest.

Eligible students* must write a 500-word essay that answers two questions:

1) What does Lunar New Year mean to you and your family?

2) What would you like to accomplish in the Year of the Tiger?

*From now through March 12, students between the ages of 13 and 24 in California, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Texas (City of El Paso only), Utah, Wyoming and Washington can enter for a chance to win a $5,000 cash prize, a Samsung Renown Global Phone and $75 in Verizon Wireless gift cards.

Verizon Wireless representatives also will join communities throughout the West Coast to celebrate the Lunar New Year as participants and supporters of the following festivals:

    --  Saturday, February 6: San Gabriel Valley Annual Lunar New Year Parade
        and Festival
    --  Saturday, February 6 - Sunday, February 7: Tet in Seattle
    --  Friday, February 12 - Sunday, February 14: Orange County Tet Festival
    --  Sunday, February 14: Portland Chinese New Year Cultural Fair
    --  Friday, February 19 - Sunday, February 21: San Diego Tet Festival
    --  Saturday, February 20 - Sunday, February 21: Los Angeles Chinatown Lunar
        New Year Festival and Parade
    --  Saturday, Feb. 27 - Sunday, February 28: San Francisco Chinese New Year
        Festival and  Parade

"We are committed to supporting the Asian communities here in the West and across the country and are proud to join them as they celebrate one of their most significant holidays," said Kevin Zavaglia, Verizon Wireless region president. "We look forward to ushering in the Year of the Tiger along with our many Asian-American customers and employees."

Of more than 4,000 Verizon Wireless employees in California, one in every five is of Asian-American or Pacific Island heritage. Verizon Wireless is dedicated to supporting the community by sponsoring important community events - such as this year's Lunar New Year festivities - and connecting with customers through appropriate, in-language product and service information, and bilingual retail sales representatives in Asian communities.

The essay contest is Verizon Wireless' latest effort to address social issues impacting the Asian-American community - including education, literacy, safety and health. Through the Verizon Foundation, its philanthropic arm, Verizon Wireless offers support and services to address such issues that impact its employees, customers and communities.

One of its key initiatives is the Verizon Wireless' HopeLine® program, which awards cash grants to domestic violence agencies throughout the country and donates cell phones for survivors to use. Last year, the HopeLine program awarded more than $435,000 in cash grants to domestic violence agencies in California, including $50,000 to nine Asian-American agencies. Verizon Wireless also distributed 2,700 HopeLine phones in California - each equipped with 3,000 minutes of usage, for a total of 8.1 million minutes of airtime.

A full list of contest rules, entry, and award details can be found at www.verizoninsider.com/education. Verizon Wireless will announce a winner in April.

For more information on the Verizon HopeLine program, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline. To find Verizon Wireless at an event near you, visit www.verizoninsider.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (Nasdaq and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit 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.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless