News & Events

Madison County helps recycle phones so soldiers can call home

Belleville News Democrat - IL, USA
The organization's founders, Brittany Bergquist, 17, and her brother, Robbie, 16, sell the phones to a recycler and use the money to buy prepaid phone cards ...

Cell Phones for Soldiers and Pak Mail kicks off national cell phone collection drive

Cell Phones for Soldiers and Pak Mail, the world's premier business solutions center with 430 U.S. locations and 60 international sites, are calling on all Americans to support the brave men and women serving abroad by donating your unused cell phones. Local residents can support the collection drive by donating their phones at any Pak Mail location. To find a location near you visit www.pakmail.com and utilize the zip code finder.

Teens help troops phone home

NORWELL, Mass. — At the holidays, for a soldier at war, there's nothing like a phone call home. Brittany and Robbie Bergquist have provided more than $1.4 million worth of them — 24 million precious minutes. The Bergquists are teenage siblings who didn't even own a cellphone in 2004, when they heard that an Army reservist faced a $7,600 bill for making calls home from Iraq.

Britany & Robbie Win Microsoft Above and Beyond Youth Leadership Award

Sister and brother Brittany and Robbie Bergquist created their program, Cell Phones for Soldiers, in 2004 when they were 13 and 12 years old, respectively. They learned of a soldier who had run up a cell phone bill of nearly $8,000 calling home to his family. Having a cousin serving in Iraq at the time made them realize the importance of keeping in touch with loved ones.

Read the full release at www.microsoft.com    Read more about the star-studded awards ceremony

Photos of the awards ceremony (click on thumbnail to view full image)

Cell Phones Can Turn Into Calling Cards For Soldiers

Fox 2 News, St. Louis - Your old cell phone can help a soldier stay in touch with family. FOX 2's Bonita Cornute tells us how a program called “Cell Phones For Soldiers” brings comfort to military families. O'Fallon, Illinois VFW Post 805 helps collect the wireless treasures. The trade off – one old phone generates two new phone cards!

View the video at www.myfoxstl.com

Santa Rita Teams up with CPFS to Salute Our Armed Forces

From September 1 through December 31, 2007, a portion of the proceeds of Santa Rita wines sold at participating retailers will be donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that provides pre-paid phone cards to our armed forces overseas. Santa Rita’s goal is to raise $100,000 towards phone cards for our service men and women serving abroad this holiday season.

In addition, Santa Rita is sponsoring the placement of cell phone drop boxes throughout the country, running local radio and newspaper advertising, and attaching coupons and information to its bottles on store shelves. To order a drop box or to donate your cell phone, visit www.santaritacares.com.

Read the full release at www.palmbay.com

NEED FLOWERS?

Cell Phones for Soldiers recently collaborated with Rosemont Floral in the Touching Hearts Fundraising Partnership to raise money for phone cards to help troops abroad call home. When you use Rosemont Floral for flower orders over $25.00, a contribution of $3.00 will be go directly towards Cell Phones for Soldiers. Orders can be placed for across town or across the country. Just mention the Touching Hearts ID: SOLDIERS and Rosemont Floral will take care of the rest. If you order online, simply enter SOLDIERS into the comments field. Share the Touching Hearts Fundraising Partnership information with friends and family and help Rosemont Floral raise funds and awareness about this much need service. Don’t forget to send flowers to all those Dads n’Grads in your life!

Cell phones aiding soldiers

DO YOU have a couple of old cell phones lying around, and you don’t know what to do with them? Give them to a good cause — Cell Phones for Soldiers.

In conjunction with Veterans Day, AT&T-owned stores nationwide — including the Ohio Valley Mall location — are asking Americans to drop off all their used cell phones to benefit a charitable program that helps U.S. military families stay connected. There is a box stationed at the entrance to the Ohio Valley Mall store.

Read more at www.timesleaderonline.com

Support for Cell Phones for Soldiers drive continues to grow

Florida - From sadness comes hope as woman honors her nephew. When Alixis Mendez Hull’s nephew, Cpl. Justin R. Garcia, died late last year in Iraq, the resident of the Village of Florida looked to honor his memory and his service. “Justin’s story is a poignant one and he left an inspiring legacy,” Hull said.

Read more by visiting www.strausnews.com

Girl Scouts helping servicemen

With almost everyone including kindergartners carrying cell phones these days, it’s often hard to decide what to do with an old lifeline that has seen better days. That’s where the girls of Bremerton’s Girl Scout Troop 50599 are waiting to lend a helping hand. The troop recently joined the nationwide Cell Phones for Soldiers program and is collecting cell phones, which are recycled for cash and those proceeds are used to purchase prepaid calling cards for soldiers serving in the Middle East.

Read more by visiting www.centralkitsapreporter.com

Hours Add Up to Free Minutes

Working around school activities such as Brittany's softball practices and Robbie's soccer games, they spend two to three hours a day sorting phones and labeling envelopes. There is little or no time for TV and video games.

Read full release at www.washingtonpost.com

Turner Motorsports Team raises more than $25,000 for CPFS!

Robbie and Brittany donate pre-paid calling cards before the race for deployed service members from NC.

Read full press release at www.turnermotorsportsllc.com

Go to driver James Buescher's official website

Photos of the event (click on thumbnail to view full image)

Tax Service Sends Out Cell Phones

for Troops

MARTINSBURG: Twenty-seven thousand minutes of time to call home — that’s what troops in Iraq will be getting, thanks to the Martinsburg branch of Liberty Tax Service and the “Cell Phones For Soldiers” program.

AT&T launches Cell Phones for Soldiers

Along with the traditional fireworks and cookouts, there is a new way to celebrate Independence Day — donating old cell phones at AT&T Inc. stores, where a Massachusetts-based charity will sell them to buy prepaid phone cards for U.S. soldiers deployed abroad.

Free calls keep troops in touch

Carrollton clan among those helped by Cell Phones for Soldiers

Ashley Parker's husband left Wednesday afternoon. The 25-year-old Carrollton mother of 6-week-old Caleb said the separation is tremendously difficult. "This is the third time he's left," Mrs. Parker said. "When he does this, we normally only talk once a week."

Brittany Bergquist recognized as one of the 'Best & Brightest'

Norwell - Thirteen local students were honored by Community Newspaper Co. as The Best & The Brightest in an award ceremony last week. The Best & The Brightest is a recognition program designed to spotlight outstanding young adults in communities covered by CNC’s local newspapers.

AT&T Supports Cell Phones for Soldiers

A long-standing mission of AT&T is helping connect military families. Cell Phones for Soldiers, initiated in 2004 by 16-year-old Brittany Bergquist and her 15-year-old brother Robbie, uses funds from recycled cell phones to buy prepaid phone cards for active duty military members – to help connect them with their families.

UBNC donates proceeds from 'Third Annual Soldier Down Poker Run'

Special thanks to the United Bikers of Northern California, Yuba-Sutter Chapter, for donating proceeds from their 'Third Annual Soldier Down Poker Run' to the Cell Phones for Soldiers program!

Visit the UBNC Yuba-Sutter website

Photos of the event (click on thumbnail to view full image)

Keep those phones ‘rolling’ in

William Duvall, left, Rolling Thunder Communications sales representative; Arlene Sexton, vice president; Joseph Sexton, left, president; Christina Gali, sales representative, Michael McNamee, cell phone assistant to Bob Martell; and Martell, vice commander for the American Legion Post 488, display an additional donation of 150 cell phones collected recently through the efforts of Rolling Thunder Communications in Monroe. That brings the total number of cell phones donated to 850 from this area for the “Cell Phones for Soldiers” campaign.

Teens’ Program Keeps Troops Connected

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2007 - Two Massachusetts teens are working to turn Americans’ unwanted cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid talk time for the nation’s troops. “Cell Phones for Soldiers is the original (cell phone) recycling program created to benefit the troops and provide free prepaid calling cards and communication assistance to military members and their families,” said Brittany Bergquist, one of the group’s founders.

RMV Partners with CPFS

The Registry of Motor Vehicles has announced a partnership with Cell Phones for Soldiers to benefit Massachusetts soldiers serving in the Middle East.  The phone donation program will run throughout the Summer of 2007.

Helping Soldiers Phone Home

Brittany and Robbie Bergquist collect used cell phones and recycle them for cash to purchase phone cards for troops. They recently partnered with AT&T to make cell phone drop-off boxes available in stores. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

Cell Phones for Soldiers Featured on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

(CBS) For a 7-year-old who's missing his daddy and a father thousands of miles away at war, a phone call is not just a chance to catch up: It's the only way to cope, CBS News correspondent Kelly Wallace reports.

Westshore Wireless Grand Opening Offers Free Phone Calls

Westshore Wireless is celebrating the grand opening of its North Ridgeville store at 34301 Center Ridge Road on Saturday, June 9, by offering free phone calls to soldiers from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. T-Mobile will provide five-minute phone calls from three dedicated lines to individuals who sign in beginning at 9:30 a.m.

WWII Vet Notes Cell Phone's Value

to Troops

Blackanthem Military News, WASHINGTON, D.C. – When Purple Heart recipient Earl "Scotty" MacKenzie was a World War II Army sergeant, communications with loved ones back home from the South Pacific where he was serving were extremely...

Computers West Club of Sun City West becomes official collection point

The Computers West Club of Sun City West announced that it has become an official collection point for donations of cell phones for the “Cell Phones for Soldiers” program. Cell phones may be dropped off at the Palm Ridge Rec Center at 13800 W Deer Valley Drive from 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday.Telephone 623-214-1546.

View the offical press release (PDF)

Kelly is collection point

Kelly Services has joined the Cell Phones for Soldiers program as an official cell phone collection point. Kelly Services is situated at 1705 Village Park Drive in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Cell phones may be dropped off there during normal business hours.

Scholarship to be dedicated in honor, memory of Joseph Finn

Cell Phones for Soldiers will be collaborating with Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island to create a scholarship dedicated in honor to the memory of Joseph Finn, an alumnus of the university. More information regarding the Joseph Finn scholarship will be provided soon.

Photos of event held in memory of Joseph (click on thumbnail to view full image)

Daredevil blasts back to support troops

The 44-year-old Pinckney daredevil brought his "Human Firecracker" act out of retirement to help spur donations of cell phones and phone cards for U.S. troops as part of the Cell Phones for Soldiers drive.

Brittany Bergquist meets with President Bush in the Oval Office

The leaders of several grassroots organizations associated with the Pentagon's America Supports You program met today at the White House to discuss their efforts to support the men and women of the U.S. armed forces with President Bush and first lady Laura Bush.