June 4, 2006
Washington Post Voice Mail Box becomes lifeline for homeless.
Program will give job, housing seekers their own number. Mabel McNair, who was once homeless, is enrolled in a culinary arts class and plans to take advantage of a new District program that will provide a free voice-mail service to low-income individuals and the homeless...Read Article »
January 10, 2006
Detroit Free Press - Community Voice Mail Program Helps Those in Need Stay in Touch
People without phones get connected. Wendy Lewis spent nine years caring for her elderly parents. When they passed away last year, she knew it was time to return to the workplace. But the 53-year-old Detroit resident couldn't afford a cell phone or a landline, and she knew that if potential employers couldn't get in touch with her, they would move on to the next candidate... Read Article »
November 17, 2005
Community Voice Mail Named Outstanding Philanthropic Organization of the Year at 2005 National Philanthropy Day Luncheon
Boasting the largest celebration in the country, more than 1,000 people
attended the Association of Fundraising Professional's luncheon on Nov.
17, 2005, National Philanthropy Day in Washington State. Community
Voice Mail was honored as "Outstanding Philanthropic Organization" of
the Year for its local and national impact. CVM provides homeless
and jobless people in need with free voicemail, and provides domestic
abuse victims with an untraceable lifeline to services and support.
(50k PDF)
September 20, 2005
CVM to Launch "Disaster Relief System" providing 80,000 Free Voice Mail Numbers to Displaced Hurricane Katrina Victims
Working with the Cisco Systems Foundation, SBC Communications and Microsoft,
Community Voice Mail will utilize existing CVM program personnel and
volunteers to provide free voicemail numbers to evacuees and refugees
of Hurricane Katrina, allowing them to connect to family, services and
support for at least 6 months after displacement. “Disaster relief
is a perfect extension of the Community Voice Mail solution,” noted
Kevin Chestnut, CTO of Cisco’s Voice Technology Group. CVM
will deploy 20,000 free voicemail numbers initially, and then ramp up
to 80,000 numbers in multiple states.
(50k PDF)
July 10, 2005
Impact-Austin Awards Local Organization $100,500 to Launch Austin CVM Program
Impact-Austin is a group of women who pool their charitable dollars for maximum community impact. Each year, they award two large grants to deserving organizations. In May 2005, our community partner, the Austin Travis Mental Health Mental Retardation Center (MHMR) was awarded an Impact-Austin grant to launch "Austin Community Voice Mail." A large, multi-service agency and community leader, MHMR seeks to serve 1,000 citizens in need each year by providing free CVM numbers community-wide.
Meadows Foundation Awards $60,000 to CVM to launch the Southwest Regional Hub in Dallas
This grant was awarded to fund the launch of a robust voicemail server located in Dallas, Texas which will carry Community Voice Mail messages for 6 current and prospective CVM sites in The State of Texas: Dallas, Austin, Houston, Ft. Worth, San Antonio and El Paso. At full capacity, it is estimated that the SW Regional Hub will serve 5,000 Texans in need annually, and that CVM numbers will be distributed via 350 partnering agencies.
Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Awards $75,000 to CVM National Office for Washingon Regional Hub
This grant was awarded in support of our effort to consolidate disparate voicemail systems across the state into a single statewide server. This innovation will impact over 14,000 Washingtonians each year who utilize Community Voice Mail, as well as build the overall capacity of our program through increased efficiencies, reduced expenses and expanded service ability.
December 10, 2004
Cisco's 20th Anniversary Highlights Service to Community Voice Mail
October 7, 2004
"The Business Shrink" with Peter Morris features CVM
CVM Development Director Patty Bonnell discussed CVM with Peter and
his national radio audience.
(Business Shrink)
Sept. 7, 2004
CNN.COM National Associated Press Voice Mail Program Offers Hope, Dignity to the Homeless
For 18 months, Mel Cornelison has slept in shelters and on sidewalks, relying on soup kitchens and stangers' kindness. Now, though, the 40-year-old Dallas man has a new job - and hope that he might soon be bale to afford weekly rent at a motel, if not a more permanant home...Read Article »
Community Voice Mail & Cisco: Winner of the 2004 Washington Software Association Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award
WSA selected the CVM/Cisco partnership as the winner of its 2004 "Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award" as part of its annual Industry Achievement Awards. CVM’s partnership with Cisco Systems to upgrade its technology, increase impact and reduce costs was singled out by the WSA for this year’s award... Read Article »
Community Voice Mail Receives $2.5 Million Award to Help Homeless and Phoneless across the Nation: Largest grant in CVM history
Announcing the largest grant received in its 10 year history, the Community Voice Mail National Office in Seattle, WA, will be granted $2.5 million over 5 years by the Cisco Systems Foundation...Read Article »Sept. 8, 2003
San Jose Mercury
News
Cisco to Fund Voice Mail for the Poor
Imagine trying to survive in Silicon Valley without a phone. After all, this is a region where a home phone, at least one cell phone and a high-speed Internet connection are practically required...Read Article »
November 2003
The Welfare Reporter
Community Voice Mail to Expand, Modernize
"We're pretty darned excited," Patricia Bonnell, director of Development with CVM, told TWR about the grant. With recent census figures showing an additional 1.7 million people living below the poverty line, "the need is stronger than ever for this service."... Read Article »
Sept. 8, 2003
The Seattle Times
Voice-mail
service for the homeless wil expand
A Seattle-based nonprofit that provides homeless people with free voicemail accounts will be able to nearly triple the number of phone numbers it doles out, thanks to a $2.5 million grant from Cisco Systems Foundation...Read Article »
Sept. 8, 2003
Jenny Carless, News@Cisco
Amy felt trapped in a violent relationship and didn't feel able to leave, partly because she didn't have a safe way to communicate with others so she could get help. She says she would have left months earlier if she'd had access to Community Voice Mail (CVM) in the past... Read Article »
Sept. 22, 2003
Telephony Online Voice Activism
People who work in the telecommunications industry understand better than anyone the critical role telephones play in professional lives. Conversely, homeless and jobless workers attempting to rebuild their lives without the benefit of phone service face an even tougher challenge... Read Article »
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