• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 5, 2007

Businesses and government agencies are banning together to raise awareness and stop domestic violence, particularly during October, which is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Verizon Wireless stepped up efforts this week in Alabama, recruiting three football coaches to shout it out. The "No Excuse" campaign, which includes print, radio, TV spots, out of home and a web site, aims to raise awareness on the issues of domestic violence. The efforts are supported by ad agency Lamar Outdoor and PR agency o2 ideas. The campaign targets men ages 18-35, featuring three of the state's top football coaches: Tommy Tuberville from Auburn University; Joey Jones, Birmingham-Southern College; and Neil Callaway, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In the radio public service message, Joey Jones, coach for the Birmingham-Southern Panthers, throws out alarming statistics: "Every nine seconds, another woman is abused by someone she loves," and "Alabama is ranked 12th in the nation for murders as a result of domestic violence."

The creative design of the "No Excuse" campaign was crafted around a large coach's blackboard, with more than 2,000 chalk X's drawn to represent the number of domestic violence offenses reported last year in the state. At least 12% of both homicides and violent crimes in Alabama are directly related to domestic violence, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

"During home football games, Auburn University will run public service announcements related to the 'No Excuse' campaign," says Sheryl Sellaway, Verizon spokeswoman. "The other two stadiums don't have JumboTrons, but they will have stories in newspapers and fun radio public service announcements."

Raising awareness through marketing and public service announcements isn't limited to Alabama. Sellaway says the program ties into previous efforts in South Carolina. Verizon Wireless plans to take the program to other states from New York to California.

Rocio Watson, executive director at the Woman's Transitional Living Center (WTLC) in Orange County, Calif., works on promotional campaigns with Blue Shield of California to raise awareness of domestic violence.

WTLC is one of four centers in the county that assist women and children in making the transition from battered to safe environments. "Domestic violence happens year round and not just in October," she says. "Unfortunately, we are very busy, because domestic violence continues to spread across all social, economic and educational levels."

In 2006, WTLC's short-term stay program for transitional housing supported 198 people, and more than 500 in the emergency shelter program, which spans between 45 and 90 days.

While Verizon Wireless plans to participate in events and activities throughout October, the "No Excuse" program highlights one way the carrier addresses domestic violence across the country during the entire year. Others programs include talking with students at colleges, supporting shelters, and providing grants to non-profit organizations. The carrier also encourages consumers to make a difference by donating old wireless phones to HopeLine.

Since October 2001, HopeLine has collected more than 4 million phones, donated more than $4 million and provided more than 45,000 wireless phones with wireless service to local organizations nationwide that provide direct services and support to victims working to rebuild their lives.

Verizon Wireless' efforts tie into work being done by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. On Wednesday, the hotline, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, unveiled a national blueprint to significantly reduce domestic violence by 2017. The Decade for Change Report, a collaborative work by corporate, private and government agencies that took four months to compile, contains ideas and initiatives to prevent domestic violence in America.

Hollywood supports efforts, too. Filmmaker and producer Holly Mosher released "Hummingbird" to DVD on Oct. 1 to create buzz during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Between 20% and 50% of the female population in every country suffers from domestic violence, according to a 2000 report from Unicef.

Mosher's 50-minute documentary brings to light the international issue of violence among women and children.