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Griffo, AT&T, and
CNY Veterans Outreach Announce Results for Cell Phones for Soldiers Holiday
Collection Drive
Published: December 16, 2022
at 07:30 a.m.
By: Press Release from Senator Griffo’s
Office
Griffo, AT&T and
CNY Veterans Outreach Center announce results for Cell Phones for Soldiers
Holiday Collection Drive
Donated cell phones and devices will be used to
provide calling cards for troops and veterans to call home during the
holidays.
PHOTO: New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo,
R-I-C-Rome, AT&T and the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center
announced Thursday that more than 600 cell phones and devices were donated
as part of this year's Cell Phones For
Soldier's collection drive. As a result of this tremendous community
support, approximately 90,000 minutes of free calls will be
provided to men and women serving in the military and veterans in
need. Pictured, from left to right: Sen. Griffo, Greeley Ford, AT&T senior network engineer,
and Scott Zoeckler with the Central New York
Veterans Outreach Center.
UTICA – Just
in time for the holidays, New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo,
R-I-C-Rome, AT&T and the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center
proudly announced Thursday that more than 600 gently used
mobile devices have been collected and donated to Cell Phones for
Soldiers to help connect deployed military and veterans with their
families and loved ones.
This year’s
collection drive ran from Nov. 11 to Dec 11 and spanned Sen. Griffo’s district. The public was able to drop off any
used mobile devices at 13 collection bins and AT&T stores throughout
the district.
As a result of
this tremendous community support, approximately 90,000
minutes of free calls will be provided to men and women serving in
the military and veterans in need.
For every donated
phone valued at $5, Cell Phones for Soldiers is able to
provide 2 ½ 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 for troops at home and abroad.
This is the
seventh year that the drive has taken place. Residents throughout Sen. Griffo’s district have now donated
approximately 6,400 devices and have provided troops with more
than 590,000 minutes (more than 9,800 hours) of free calls.
“Year after year,
I am always impressed by everyone who steps up to help those in need of
assistance,” said Sen. Griffo. “This
year was no different. Through the donations of these phones and devices,
we will help to make the holidays brighter for our troops by giving them
the chance to talk with their friends and loved ones. I would like to thank
AT&T, Cell Phones For Soldiers, the Central
New York Veterans Outreach Center and our caring and compassionate
community for once again taking part in this collection drive and helping
those who protect us and keep us safe from harm.”
“As an industry
leader in communications, there is nothing that brings AT&T and its
employees more pride and joy than being able to connect our active military
and veterans with their loved ones, especially during the holidays,” said Greeley
Ford, Senior Network Engineer, AT&T. “AT&T has been
privileged to collaborate with Senator Griffo to
lead this successful community charity collection drive again this year. I
am once again overwhelmed by this community’s continued generosity to help
make the holidays more enjoyable for some of America’s bravest by
connecting them with their families and friends back home.”
“Once again, our
community showed how much they care and appreciate the men and women who
serve our nation,” said Vincent Scalise, Central New York Veterans
Outreach Center executive director. “Thank you to Sen. Griffo and AT&T for again spearheading in this
important initiative and to everyone who helped our troops stay in touch
with their loved ones, families and friends during the holiday
season.”
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. 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.
"Cell Phones
for Soldiers would like to congratulate and thank Senator Griffo, AT&T and the entire Central New York community on another successful cell phone
collection campaign,” said Rob Bergquist, founder and president of
Cell Phones For Soldiers. “The phones collected this year will have a
direct impact connecting deployed military and help veterans receive
resources they need to get back on their feet and stay on their feet."
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.
The donations of
the mobile device to this community collection drive will help connect
active military and veterans with loved ones during the holidays and
beyond, 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.
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