The Rotary Club of St. Thomas Sunrise and AT&T of the Virgin Islands, in conjunction with the non-profit Cell Phones for Soldiers, have announced a community partnership called “Cell Phones for Soldiers,” which encourages V.I. businesses and residents to recycle their unused or outdated cell phones and other portable communication devices. The collected equipment will be sold to ReCellular, and the proceeds will then used by Cell Phones for Soldiers (www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com) to purchase calling cards that are given to U.S. military personnel serving around the world.
More than 150,000 troops are serving overseas and are away from their families. “Our goal is to help make it possible for them to stay in touch with loved ones by donating our old cell phones,” said Jeni Smith, president of the Rotary Club of St. Thomas Sunrise. “It’s an easy and meaningful way to support our troops.”
The goal is to deliver at least 1,000 hours of free calling time. Rotary Sunrise will collect phones from their members and members’ businesses. Residents can support the collection drive anytime through Nov. 11, Veterans Day, by donating their old phones and equipment at AT&T or any V.I. donation location, where there will be specially marked boxes (See: www.cellphoneforsoldiers.com for a list of donation centers). People who can’t get to a donation center can contribute their phones by printing a mailing label from the Web site.
“Besides supporting our troops, recycling these devices this way protects our environment by keeping the toxic metals they contain out of our Bovoni Landfill,” said Smith. Approximately half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in over 40 countries around the world. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and 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; and plastic from phone cases and accessories.
For more information, see www.recellular.com
