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Teens' Project Sends Used Cell Phones To GIs Overseas
The 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. "Americans will replace an estimated 130 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." Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded four years ago by then 12-year-old Robbie and 13-year-old Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. The brother and sister didn't even have their own cell phones at the time. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 400,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas. The teenage siblings heard about a soldier who had run up a cell phone bill of nearly $8,000 calling home to his family. Having a cousin serving in Iraq at the time made them realize the importance of keeping in touch with loved ones. They immediately got their piggy banks and announced that they were going to pay the soldier's phone bill. When they brought their $21 to a local bank, the manager was so impressed he kicked in an additional $500. This motivated them to expand the project. They held car wash and bake sale fundraisers and then came up with the idea of recycling used cell phones to raise even more money. With help from volunteers, they set up drop-off sites across the United States and used proceeds from recycling to buy prepaid phone cards for troops overseas. Brittany and Robbie devote at least 20 hours per week to their program with the help of their web site, http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com. Military support groups throughout the U.S. contact Brittany and Robbie for free phone cards for inclusion in their care packages. There are now over 6,000 drop off sites in the United States and around the world. "Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family's appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces," said the father, Bob Bergquist, of his children. "Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments." 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 with prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis. For more information on the program and to down load a prepaid mailing label, go to: www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com .
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