Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Cell Phones for Soldiers and Home Properties Launch National Cell Phone Collection at 114 Locations

NORWELL, Mass., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 150,000 troops are
serving overseas and are away from their families. Cell Phones for Soldiers
and Home Properties, a real estate investment trust (REIT) with communities
in selected Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southeast Florida markets,
are calling on all Americans to support these brave men and women by
donating used cell phones.

"We're asking Americans to make a small sacrifice of support by
donating their used cell phones, providing families with a much-needed
connection to their loved ones overseas," says Brittany Bergquist, Cell
Phones for Soldiers co-founder.

Home Properties residents can donate their old cell phones to the cause
at any one of almost 120 Home Properties locations in Delaware, Florida,
Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Virginia. The goal of the collection drive is to collect
5,000 phones in three months. Non-residents are also invited to
participate. To find a drop-off location near you, visit
http://www.homeproperties.com and utilize the map to search in your area.

"We're proud to show our support for U.S. soldiers, and to work with
our residents and employees to contribute to a worthy cause like Cell
Phones for Soldiers," says Rosemarie Cook-Manley, Marketing Director at
Home Properties.

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.

"We have been overwhelmed by the generous 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 to allow soldiers abroad to see their
families on a regular basis.

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.

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 the highest environmental standards.

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 U.S. soldier with a way to call home for
free. For more information, please visit
http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com



See Also:

[Via Real Estate Newswire]

Опубліковано prolink о 4:00 AM

0 коментарі:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)