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CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS CALLING FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING NATIONAL CELL PHONE RECYCLING WEEK, APRIL 6-10, 2009
Registered 501(c)3 Organization Hopes to Collect 10,000 Cell Phones, Enough to Provide 60,000 Minutes Calling Time for Troops Serving Overseas
NORWELL, Mass., April 3, 2009 – For National Cell Phone Recycling Week, Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to collect more than 10,000 phones to keep troops serving overseas connected with their loved ones at home. To support the effort, Americans are asked to collect all their old cell phones and donate them to Cell Phones for Soldiers.
The ambitious goal is only one percent of the estimated 1.8 million cell phones Americans will retire during the five days of the National Cell Phone Recycling Week, April 6 -10. The vast majority of these phones will be added to landfills, where they pose a toxic risk to the surrounding environment.
Cell Phones for Soldiers safely recycles retired cell phones, and uses the proceeds to provide prepaid calling cards for the brave men and women serving in the Armed Forces abroad. The average recycled cell phone is worth enough to provide a 60 minute calling card for international use.
“Donating your old cell phone is a small, easy sacrifice to make to support our troops.” says Brittany Bergquist, Cell Phones for Soldiers co-founder. “But for the troops overseas, it provides a priceless connection to their loved ones at home. ”
You can support the collection drive by donating your phones at any AT&T corporate location or by visiting the Cell Phones For Soldiers website to find a local drop off site.
Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
“We are continuously overwhelmed by the enthusiastic support of thousands of Americans who have helped our troops speak with their loved ones,” says the teens’ father, Bob Bergquist. “However, the need for support continues as we have soldiers being deployed all over the world and many in the Middle East are being asked to serve extended tours of duty.”
Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones and prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis. They are also researching programs to provide technology for returning Veterans to aid their transition back into the work force.
The donated phones are sent to ReCellular, which reimburses Cell Phones for Soldiers for recycled phones. Approximately half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in over 40 countries around the world. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to reclaim materials, including:
More information on ReCellular’s recycling processes and benefits can be found in their 2008 Corporate Sustainability Report, which is available for download at: Recellular Sustainability Report
About Cell Phones for Soldiers:
Cell Phones for Soldiers was created by Brittany & Robbie Bergquist of Norwell MA. After reading a story about a soldier who ran up a huge phone bill calling home from Iraq, these two teenagers decided to help out. They started by opening an account with $21.00 of their own money. They are collecting cash donations and old cell phones. The cell phones are recycled for cash and the proceeds are used to buy prepaid calling cards for our soldiers serving in the Middle East. Cell Phones For Soldiers is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Their efforts have motivated people and businesses around the country to donate to this worthy cause. Their goal is to provide every US soldier with a way to call home for free. For more information, please visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.