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Sen. Griffo’s Annual Cell
Phones for Soldiers Collection Drive Underway Through December 11 with
Drop-Off Location in Lowville
Published: November 16, 2022
at 10:00 a.m.
By: Media Release from Senator Griffo’s
Office
Griffo, AT&T & CNY Veterans Outreach Center kickoff
annual Cell Phones For Soldiers
Collection Drive
In honor of
Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month, state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-I-C-Rome, was joined by AT&T and the
Central New York Veterans Outreach Center Friday to kick off this
year's Cell Phones For Soldiers collection
drive.
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. As many as 200,000 troops are serving in the U.S. military
around the world and by donating to Cell Phones For Soldiers, local residents and businesses can provide
a valuable lifeline for America’s bravest men and women to connect with
loved ones back home.
The collection
drive starts on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and runs through Saturday, Dec.
11. The public and businesses can drop off gently used and
unwanted cell phones and/or tablets at collection bins in
AT&T stores throughout the region and at several public locations
throughout the senator’s district.
Drop-off
locations include:
- Jervis Public Library: 613 N. Washington St.,
Rome
- Adirondack Bank Center, 400 Oriskany St. W.,
Utica
- Central New York Veterans Outreach Center,
726 Washington St., Utica
- Utica Public Library: 303 Genesee St., Utica
- Chanatry’s Hometown Market: 485 French Road, Utica
- Utica State Office Building: 207 Genesee St.,
Utica
- Turning Stone Resort Casino: 5218 Patrick
Road, Verona
- New Hartford Public Library: 2 Library Lane,
New Hartford
- Lloyds of Lowville: 7405 S. State St.,
Lowville
AT&T
Stores
- 4777 Commercial Drive, New
Hartford
- 1319 Erie Boulevard W.,
Rome
- 224 N. Genesee St.,
Utica
- 220 Genesee St., Oneida
This is the sixth
year that the drive has taken place lead by Senator Griffo
and AT&T. Residents throughout Sen. Griffo’s
district have donated approximately 5,801 devices and have provided troops
with more than 500,000 minutes (more than 8,300 hours) of free
calls.
“The holidays can
be a difficult time 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 AT&T, the
Central New York Veterans Outreach Center, Cell Phones for Soldiers and
local businesses and organizations to help connect these troops to their
families back home.”
“As a company
that connects the world, AT&T believes that one of the best ways to
support and thank the brave men and women that protect and serve our
country, and the veterans before them, is by helping to keep them connected
with their family, friends and loved ones,” said Greeley Ford,
AT&T senior network engineer. “We are extremely honored to
collaborate with Senator Griffo and Cell Phones For Soldiers again this year to encourage this
kindhearted and generous community to join us in supporting veterans,
active military personnel and their families by donating their used mobile
phones, tablets and other wireless devices.”
“We are so
grateful to AT&T, Senator Griffo, and his
constituents for their ongoing support of our mission to connect America’s
bravest,” said Rob Bergquist, founder and president of Cell Phones For Soldiers. “As we approach our 19th year of
helping military service members and veterans, we continue to serve those
who served our country and look forward to expanding our mission. We now
have the capacity to put donated mobile devices—collected through events
like Senator Griffo’s and AT&T’s drive—in the
hands of low-income and at-risk veterans. These devices will be lifelines
to help veterans in need connect with critical resources.”
"The holiday
season can be a difficult and trying time for many families,
especially for those who have a loved one serving in the military and away
from home," said Vincent Scalise, Central New York Veterans
Outreach Center executive director. "I thank Sen. Griffo for again spearheading this collection drive and
for his continued support of our armed forces 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 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.
***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
owner's manual or to the manufacturers' web site.
For more than a
century, AT&T has proudly supported active military personnel, their families and veterans, including helping veterans and
active military transition into the workforce. AT&T recognizes how
valuable veterans’ leadership, critical thinking, and diverse perspectives
can be, and the company has invested in programs focused on the
transition from military service to a civilian corporate setting, with more
than 12,000 active employees self-identifying as a veteran as of June 2021.
Since 2007, AT&T and its customers have donated more than $65 million
and distributed more than 800,000 pre-paid calling cards to servicemen and
women and Military Friendly magazine has recognized AT&T as a top 10
brand in 2022. AT&T’s continued support of active military, veterans
and their families closely align with the company’s commitment
to FirstNet®, Built with
AT&T, America’s safety communications platform providing first
responders with a reliable, highly secure, interoperable, and innovative
wireless communications and broadband network dedicated to public
safety.
For more
information on Cell Phones for Soldiers, please visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
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