Sachem Sports Club, a nonprofit youth league, and the nonprofit Cell Phones For Soldiers Inc. are asking Sachem residents to help troops call home by donating gently-used cellular phones. Although the military landscape is ever changing, as many as 200,000 troops are serving in the United States military overseas around the world. By donating to Cell Phones For Soldiers, Sachem residents can provide troops with that precious connection to loved ones back home.
Beginning September 5, residents can donate their phones by bringing them to the PAL Sports Complex, located on Furrows Road, Holbrook, N.Y.
Sachem Sports Club is a nonprofit youth league that services the residents of the Sachem School District. Sachem Sports Club has been offering football, cheerleading and lacrosse for more than 35 years. SSC offers the youth of Sachem a fun, safe, and competitive place to play sports. They teach young athletes sportsmanship, teamwork and community spirit.
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 210 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 3,200 calling cards each week to bases around the world, care package programs, deployment ceremonies and VA hospitals.
“Each year we have been humbled by the amount of people and organizations like Sachem Sports Club that take the initiative to support our troops,” said co-founder Robbie Bergquist. “The communication gap between those serving and their families is a crucial need that Cell Phones For Soldiers is committed to addressing for years to come.”
Donated phones are sent to Mindful eCycling for recycling. For every donated phone valued at $5, Cell Phones For Soldiers is able to provide two and a half hours of free talk time to deployed troops.
Approximately half of the phones Mindful eCycling processes are reconditioned and reused. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and responsibly recycled to reclaim materials, including:
- Gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards
- Copper wiring from phone chargers
- Nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs
- Plastic from phone cases and accessories
For more information, please visit: www.sachemsportsclub.com or www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
ABOUT CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS INC.
Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. is a national nonprofit dedicated to serving troops and veterans with free communication services and emergency funding. Founded in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, then 12 and 13 years old, Cell Phones For Soldiers has provided more than 210 million “Minutes That Matter” to deployed troops. Since 2012, “Helping Heroes Home” has provided emergency funds for more than 2,500 returning veterans to alleviate communication challenges as well as physical, emotional and assimilation hardships. For more information, visitwww.cellphonesforsoldiers.com, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest pages.