New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo and the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center proudly announced today that approximately 1,000 gently-used mobile devices have been collected over the past month and will be donated to Cell Phones For Soldiers.
Rob Bergquist, who founded Cell Phones For Soldiers along with his sister, Brittany, when they were teenagers, also attended today’s announcement. Local veterans Joseph Fraccola and Lawrence “Larry” Badger were also present.
This year’s collection drive ran from Nov. 10 to Dec. 10 and spanned Sen. Griffo’s district. The public was able to drop off any used mobile devices at 10 collection sites throughout the senator’s district, which includes all of Oneida and Madison counties and parts of Chenango and Herkimer counties.
For every donated phone valued at $5, Cell Phones for Soldiers can provide 2 ½ hours of free talk time to deployed troops via calling cards. All proceeds from the recycled devices will be used to buy long distance calling cards for troops at home and abroad. Some of the phones collected also will go directly into the hands of veterans in need. The phones will come with unlimited talk and text.
As a result of this tremendous community support, approximately 150,000 minutes of free calls will be provided to men and women serving in the military.
This is the 10th year that Sen. Griffo’s collection drive has taken place. Residents throughout Sen. Griffo’s district have donated approximately 8,400 devices and have provided troops with approximately 890,000 minutes of free calls.
“Once again, our caring and compassionate community has stepped up in a big way to make the holidays brighter for our troops,” Sen. Griffo said. “I would like to thank the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center for once again partnering with me for this year’s collection drive and all the local businesses, libraries and organizations that graciously provided space for residents to drop off their devices. This effort shows how much residents in the 53rd Senate District value the service of and the sacrifices made by the men and women in our nation’s military and their families.”
“The results of this year’s collection drive again demonstrate the generosity of community members and how much they care about the men and women who serve our nation,” said Vincent Scalise, Central New York Veterans Outreach Center executive director. “I thank Sen. Griffo for helping to spearhead this important initiative and am appreciative of everyone who donated a cell phone or device to help our troops domestically and abroad stay in touch with their loved ones, families and friends during the holidays.”
Rob Bergquist presented Sen. Griffo a plaque in appreciation of the senator’s efforts in support of the national nonprofit organization.
“On behalf of the entire team at Cell Phones for Soldiers—and the service members and veterans who have benefitted and will continue to benefit from a decade of generous cell phone donations from Senator Griffo’s constituents—I extend our deepest thanks to Sen. Griffo for answering the call to keep our heroes connected to their loved ones and to the vital resources that help them get back on their feet,” Rob Bergquist said. “I am honored to be here today representing the organization that Sen. Griffo has so generously and consistently supported each year for the past decade.”
Cell Phones For Soldiers was founded in 2004 by teenagers Rob and Brittany Bergquist at the ages of 12 and 13. The charity has since provided more than 300 million minutes of free talk time to servicemen and women stationed around the world through its calling card program, Minutes That Matter. Funds raised from the recycling of cellular phones are used to purchase prepaid international calling cards.
On average, Cell Phones For Soldiers distributes 1,500 calling cards each week to bases around the world, care package programs, deployment ceremonies and VA hospitals. Since 2004, the charity has provided U.S. troops with more than 400 million “Minutes That Matter” and distributed more than 5 million prepaid international calling cards and have recycled more than 25 million mobile devices, reducing the impact on landfills.
A donation of a mobile device to this community collection drive doesn’t just help connect active military and veterans with loved ones, it also helps protect the environment by properly and safely recycling them so not to cause electronic waste, which can be extremely harmful to the environment if it ends up in a landfill. Electronics such as mobile devices do not last a lifetime, yet they are made with products that are non-disposable, such as cadmium, mercury, and lead as well as lithium batteries and rare-earth minerals, and commonly cased in plastic—all things that can cause damage to water supplies and ecosystems. Cell Phones For Soldiers works with a recycling partner which dismantles the device securely, identifying which components may be resold for reuse – which helps cut the demand for mining in vulnerable locations, and providing funding for the organization to help service members communicate with home and support veterans in need.
For more information on Cell Phones For Soldiers, please visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
###
Suggested Caption: Rob Bergquist, left, Cell Phones For Soldiers co-founder, recognized New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo’s efforts in support of the national nonprofit organization at a news conference today announcing how many mobile devices have been collected as part of the senator’s collection drive this year. Thanks to a generous and caring community, approximately 1,000 devices were donated at 10 drop-off locations across Sen. Griffo’s district. All proceeds from the recycled devices will be used to buy long distance calling cards for troops at home and abroad. Some of the phones collected also will go directly into the hands of veterans in need. The phones will come with unlimited talk and text.
