Campaign buys phone cards for solders!
NORWELL, Mass., April 4, 2010– More than 150,000 troops are serving overseas and are away from their families. Cell Phones for Soldiers, and Annville Inn Bed & Breakfast are calling on all Americans to support for these brave men and women by donating their unused cell phones. Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to collect over 50,000 cell phones this year to help keep troops connected with their families. Cell Phones For Soldiers’ goal is every minute of every day a soldier can phone home.
“Over the past few years, we have been amazed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue.” says Brittany Bergquist, Cell Phones for Soldiers co-founder. “It is easy for Americans to make a small sacrifice of support by donating their unused cell phones, and providing families with a much-needed connection to their loved ones overseas.”
Annville Inn’s owner, Rosalie George, and her husband both come from military families, and currently have family members serving overseas in the U.S. Marine Corps. “We know how important it is for family members to stay in touch with their heroes overseas,” Rosalie says, “and we want to do our part to make these connections possible.”
The company that recycles the phones for eventual sales in order to raise cash to by phone cards for soldiers is ReCellular, founded in 1991. The company is dedicated to supporting charities and protecting the environment. Every 16 months, U.S. consumers are retiring an estimated 130 million cell phones and only 10 percent of those phones are being recycled. There are tons of phones in junk drawers across America, waiting to be collected and turned into calling card cash.
Annville Inn expects local residents as well as Inn guests to support the collection by donating cell phones for soldiers at: Annville Inn Bed & Breakfast, 4515 Hill Church Road, Annville, Pa. 17003. You can call ahead by phoning 867-1991. Receipts are available for tax deductions. Cell Phones for Soldiers is an IRS authorized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
“We’re proud to show our support for U.S. soldiers, and to contribute to a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers,” says Mrs. George, Innkeeper.
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 501(c)(3) non-profit organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
“W e 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 keeps growing as more soldiers are sent to the Middle East or are 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.
The donated phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.
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:
Gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards
Copper wiring from phone chargers
Nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs
Plastic from phone cases and accessories
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. Today, numerous Fortune 500 companies are sponsors, as evidenced by their corporate logos on the Cell Phones for Soldiers Web site. Their goal is to provide every US soldier with a way to call home for free.
Please Click here to visit the official Cell Phones for Soldiers Web site, and please don't forget to dig up your old cell phones and bring or send them to Annville Inn B&B.
