By Cheyene Miller

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A coordinated effort to curb high rates of domestic violence was discussed Wednesday morning at a conference in the Fayette circuit courthouse.

“It’s a very simple effort,” said Kentucky first lady Jane Beshear before dropping a cellphone she no longer needed into a HopeLine from Verizon donation box, along with the event’s other speakers.

During the entire month of October, which is recognized as domestic violence awareness month, the Kentucky Commission on Women HopeLine Drive will seek to provide cash grants for the WorkSafe program, a partner of The Mary Byron Project. The grants will be used by the WorkSafe program, which trains Kentucky employers on how to handle situations involving domestic violence in the workplace.

Pat Byron founded The Mary Byron Project in memory of her daughter Mary, who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1993 as she was leaving work.

Byron said that her daughter’s death and the high rate of domestic violence in Kentucky have “revealed a terrible gap in our system.”

The HopeLine from Verizon program collects donated wireless devices like no-longer used cellphones, which can be from any carrier and in any condition.  Verizon Wireless then turns the revenue from reselling the devices into cash grants for domestic violence agencies.

Since its implementation in 2001, HopeLine has collected nearly 11 million phones nationwide, and awarded over $21 million in cash grants. In 2014, HopeLine has raised more than $108,000 in Kentucky alone.

The offices of the Governor and Lt. Governor, 24 KCW commissioners, 18 state agencies and the 13 UK sororities are participating in the HopeLine Drive.  Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto, wife of UK President Eli Capilouto, applauded UK sororities for their involvement, and encouraged all universities in Kentucky to participate in the drive.

According to Beshear, 1 in 3 Kentucky women will be victims of domestic abuse, which is higher than the national average of 1 in 4.  Beshear said that she feels very passionate about this issue, saying it is something she has “worked on since the beginning of this administration.”

According to Madeline Abramson, KCW chair, the goal is to collect 3,500 used cellphones and cellphone devices, because 3,500 is equal to the number of nights a Kentucky adult or child spent in a domestic violence shelter last year.

Donations can be made at any Verizon Wireless communications store, by mail or at special HopeLine events held throughout the year.