Cell Phones for Soldiers, a program started by 2 teenagers has expanded to provide over a half million pre-paid phone cards to soldiers serving overseas. Now both Canadians and Americans can contribute to saving the planet at the same time we support our overseas troops.
How Does It Work? Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit organization that Collects your old cell phones, sells them to a recycling company and turns the profit into useable minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. and Canadian soldiers stationed overseas. Sacrificing their lives and giving up their time with their families, our troops deserve to be provided with the means to stay in contact with their loved ones.
Ø Donate your cell phone by mail in the USA with printable, postage paid shipping label. In Canada, request a prepaid FedEx label or donate even more by supplying your own postage.
Ø Find a drop off site for your cell phone in the USA and Canada
Ø Donated cell phones are sold to ReCellular, a company that repairs and resells used cell phones. ReCellular itself has an exemplary record and policy on sustainability, keeping more than 1.6 million pounds of toxic waste out of landfills, and preventing enough green house gases to equal taking 1,676 cars off our roads.
Ø Money made selling the phones is used to provide prepaid phone cards to US troops and needed supplies to Canadian troops such as clothing, laptops, and video cameras so troops can send messages home to their loved ones and other basic necessities.
Ø You can help a needy soldier or an entire unit by supplying contact information and requesting calling cards for them. Without your help on this step they have no way to locate service people needing assistance calling home due to DOD privacy policy.
The story behind this valuable program is inspiring and can serve as a road map for making a difference. A brother and sister began their journey after hearing a news story about one soldier with an unexpectedly huge cell phone bill for calls home from Iraq. We all should look for small and large ways to follow in their footsteps, look for ways to make a difference and incorporate sustainable principles throughout the process. The old adage of business - “find a need and fill it”, can be updated to read “find a social need and fill it with a sustainable solution”.
Comments (2)Subscribe to CommentsComment