More than 150,000 troops are serving overseas and are away from their families. Sunset Springs Apartments is calling on all St George area residents to support these brave men and women by donating your unused cell phones. The local apartment complex has teamed up with Cell Phones for Soldiers, a national charitable organization, to collect cell phones to help keep troops connected with their families.
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 millions of dollars in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
“For the loved ones of soldiers serving abroad, Thanksgiving is much more than a long holiday weekend,” says Brittany Bergquist, Cell Phones for Soldiers co-founder. “We’re asking Americans to make a small sacrifice of support by donating their unused cell phones, providing families with a much-needed connection to their loved ones overseas.”
The cell phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone—enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.
Local residents can support the collection drive by donating their phones at the office of the Sunset Springs Apartments located at 1660 West Sunset Blvd.—just west of Home Depot. Cell phone chargers and battery packs are also accepted. Donors can pick up a receipt for their cell phone donation when they drop off their phones.
“We’re proud to show our support for U.S. soldiers, and to contribute to a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers,” say Debra Michaeli, manager of Sunset Springs Apartments, “We are honored to be a drop off location for this charity.”
The owners and managers of the apartment complex have set a goal to collect 222 cell phones by Veterans Day of 2009, but hope that the St. George community will rally to help them far exceed that goal in the coming year. That would be at least 222 hours of talk time between soldiers and their loved ones. The number 222 was selected in honor of our local National Guard Unit.
“Americans will replace an estimated 150 million cell phones this year,” says Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular, “with the majority of phones either discarded or stuffed in a drawer. Most people don’t realize that the small sacrifice of donating their unwanted phones can have a tremendous benefit for a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers.”
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 raw materials.
Cell phone donors can call Debra Michaeli at the Sunset Springs office at 435-628-3436 if they have any questions.
About Sunset Springs Apartments:
The Sunset Springs Apartment community has been a part of St George for the past 21 years, but has been under new management for the past five years. The community, which has 124 apartments, was recently honored by the SW Utah Public Health Department for promoting a healthy lifestyle for the residents by providing a smoke free environment. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the property.
Sunset Springs Apartments is now a family owned business. A member of the family was recently deployed to Iraq.
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
