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New England
Patriots Kevin Faulk and Matthew Slater Visit East Boston High
School; Call on Students to End Widespread Relationship Violence
400 Students Join Faulk and Slater in Taking the LIVERESPECT
Pledge, a Commitment to End Teen Relationship Violence
BOSTON – Kevin Faulk and Matthew Slater of the New England Patriots
visited East Boston High School on Friday (Dec. 9) to lead Training
Camps for Life -- a partnership of the National Football League
Players Association, A CALL TO MEN and the Verizon Foundation -- to
educate students about teen relationship violence.
Kevin Faulk addresses EBHS students
The half-day, NFL-star-studded event addressed topics such as
overcoming adversity, decisions and consequences, and healthy teen
relationships – a critical addition to the Training Camps for Life
agenda.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in
four adolescents is physically, emotionally, mentally or sexually
abused by a significant other each year.
Faulk and Slater led 400 East Boston High School students in taking
the LIVERESPECT pledge (www.liverespect.org), a commitment to end
teen relationship violence and speak out against domestic violence.
They were joined by retired Patriot and East Boston High School
alumnus Jermaine Wiggins and retired Washington Redskin Pete
Kendall, a football standout at Boston College.
Across the country, more than 3,000 teens have taken the pledge to
date.
Kevin Faulk
“I was proud to join my fellow teammates in taking the LIVERESPECT
pledge,” said Slater. “It is a meaningful way to demonstrate respect
for yourself, your girlfriend or boyfriend, and it’s also a great
way for parents to start a conversation about healthy relationships
with their kids.”
Ted Bunch, co-founder of A CALL TO MEN, said: “NFL players from New
York to Green Bay to New Orleans and here in Boston have rallied
around this cause, helping teens understand why it’s important to
commit themselves to healthy, respectful relationships. Their
positive influence lays an important foundation for us to dive
deeper into the cultural influences that shape teen relationships.”
Matthew Slater
Through the Training Camps for Life program, the Verizon Foundation
funds A CALL TO MEN program to provide participating schools with a
healthy relationships curriculum designed specifically for teens.
The in-class curriculum aims to:
- Help teens heal from past abuse.
- Improve equality and respect in relationships.
- Increase safety on school campuses.
- Promote youth leadership in violence prevention.
“The Verizon Foundation commends schools like East Boston High
School for their leadership in addressing this critical social
issue,” said Donna Cupelo, region president of Verizon New England.
“Through the healthy relationships curriculum, teens will learn
nuances of abuse and know how to respond if confronted by violence
or abuse.”
Partnering with the NFL Players Association on the Training Camps
for Life program is part of the Verizon Foundation’s strategy to
engage men and teens in helping end domestic violence.
George Atallah, assistant executive director of external affairs for
the NFL Players Association, said, “Through Training Camps for Life,
our NFL players educate teens about overcoming adversity, decisions
and consequences, having a plan for your life, and the importance of
respect and nonviolence.”
The Training Camps for Life program will run throughout 2012.
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, uses its
technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical
social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence
prevention. Verizon supports survivors of domestic violence through
the Verizon HopeLine® program. Through HopeLine, no-longer-used
wireless phones are collected and recycled or refurbished to support
domestic violence survivors. Since 2001, more than 8 million
wireless phones have been collected, and more than $10 million in
cash grants have been awarded to domestic violence agencies and
organizations throughout the country. Verizon has invested more than
$28 million in domestic violence prevention. For more information on
the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.
About NFL Players Association
The National Football League Players Association is a
professional association under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal
Revenue Code. The objectives of the Association are: to improve the
business conditions of professional football players in the National
Football League, including enhancing, protecting and defending their
right to contract by attacking, legally challenging and\or
eliminating any limitations or restrictions on the right to freely
contract for services as professional football players; to create
opportunities for players to enhance off-the-field income during
their playing careers and after their retirement from football; and,
to enable and encourage players to engage in charitable and civic
activities to benefit their communities.
About A CALL TO MEN
A CALL TO MEN is a leading national men's organization addressing
domestic and sexual violence prevention and the promotion of healthy
manhood. For more information, visit www.acalltomen.org.
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New
York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless
and wireline communications services to consumer, business,
government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates
America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 107 million
total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged
communications, information and entertainment services over
America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated
business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries,
including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $106.6
billion in 2010 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of
more than 195,000. For more information, visit
www.verizon.com.
Photographs courtesy of Verizon.
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