In recognition of Military Family Appreciation Month and Veterans Day, New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-C-Rome, was joined by the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center today to kick off this year's Cell Phones For Soldiers collection drive. 

 

Joining Sen. Griffo for today's event were Vincent Scalise, executive director and founder of the Utica Center for Development/Central New York Veteran's Outreach Center, Scott Zoeckler, director of Housing for the veterans outreach center, and Jake Livingston, staff sergeant with the U.S. Army National Guard.

 

The collection drive starts Monday, Nov. 10 and runs through Wednesday, Dec. 10. The public can drop off gently used and unwanted cell phones and/or tablets at several public locations throughout Sen. Griffo’s district.   

Drop-off locations include:  

• Jervis Public Library: 613 N. Washington St., Rome       
• Central New York Veterans Outreach Center: 726 Washington St., Utica   
• Chanatry’s Hometown Market: 485 French Road, Utica    
• Utica State Office Building: 207 Genesee St., Utica   
• New Hartford Public Library: 2 Library Lane, New Hartford 
• Oneida Public Library: 459 Main St., Oneida
• Sullivan Free Library, 101 Falls Blvd, Chittenango
• West Winfield Library: 179 South St., West Winfield
• Sherburne Public Library: 2 E State St., Sherburne 
• Madison County Distillery, 2412 Rt 20, Cazenovia
   

For every donated phone, mobile device or tablet valued at $5, Cell Phones For Soldiers is able to provide 2.5 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 and other communication services for troops at home and abroad. Some of the phones collected also will go directly into the hands of veterans in need as a part of a recent initiative started by the organization. The phones will come with unlimited talk and text.  

 

This is the 10th year that the collection drive has taken place. During that time, residents throughout Sen. Griffo’s district have donated approximately 7,400 devices and have provided troops with approximately 740,000 minutes of free calls.  

 

“The holidays can be challenge for members of our military because they are often so far away from their families,” Sen. Griffo said.  “The simple sound of a loved one’s voice can go a long way to lift their spirits. These brave men and women have stepped up to serve our nation, and I am proud to be teaming up with the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center, Cell Phones for Soldiers and local businesses and organizations to help connect these troops with their families back home.”  

 

"The holiday season can be a difficult and trying time for many families, especially for those who have a loved one serving in the armed forces and away from home," Scalise said. "I thank Sen. Griffo for again spearheading this collection drive and for his continued support of military members and their families."   

 

Cell Phones For Soldiers was founded in 2004 by teenagers Robbie 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 provide 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.    

 

***To prepare your mobile phone for donation here are some tips on how to erase all personal information that may be stored on it to protect your privacy:    

 

Remove your phone's SIM card Erase your address book, photos, messages and other stored information.  

  

Restore the device factory settings on your device.    

 

For instructions on how to do this, go to the owner’s manual or to the manufacturers' web site.    

 ###