GENERAL MOTORS’ DETROIT HIGH SCHOOL CONTEST COLLECTS 3,236 USED PHONES FOR SOLDIERS OVERSEAS
GENERAL MOTORS’ DETROIT HIGH SCHOOL CONTEST COLLECTS 3,236 USED PHONES FOR SOLDIERS OVERSEAS
Wayne, Macomb and Oakland county high school students provide 97,000 minutes of free calls home
DETROIT (Feb. 9, 2012) – The GM Military Discount, 99.5 WYCD and Detroit-area high schools joined forces to collect gently-used phones for deployed service members around the world. The contest placed high schools in Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties against each other in an effort to drive donations to support our troops and win bragging rights.
Romeo High School won the competition by collecting 761 used cell phones. Romeo High School’s student council organized the collection, by placing boxes in each three-hour classroom and incentivizing students with an internal contest--granting the classroom with the most participation a pizza lunch. The student council tied the collection into Romeo’s annual “Charity Week,” the school’s effort to give-back to the community by raising funds for a designated charity, family, or individual. For their victory, Romeo opted to receive a school-wide pizza party on February 10th. Pizzas will be delivered by the local Little Caesars--owned by Charles and Lee Jones and managed by Susan Sheets.
Lakeview High School came in second place with a collection of 626 used cell phones and will receive a free private concert on February 16 by American Idol’s Casey James. James was a top-three finalist during the 9thseason of American Idol and has since appeared before live audiences with Sugarland on their The Incredible Machine Tour. Lakeview High School’s student-led community service organization, Huskies with Heart, ran the drive and received donations from students, staff, the community and the St. Clair Shores Senior Center. "What impressed me most about our school's success was that our school just collected phones. We didn't mention pizza parties, concerts from country music stars, or anything. Our students and community were just incredibly generous, simply to help out the soldiers," said Matt Barranca, Huskies with Heart staff adviser.
The 3,236 collectively donated devices will benefit national charity Cell Phones for Soldiers and help military families communicate for free during deployments. The contest, comprised of 18 high schools, began Nov. 21 and ran through Dec. 15. Students and staff collected phones from family, friends and members of the community.
General Motors is a proud supporter of military personnel by providing discounts for Active Duty members, Reserves and Retirees, including their spouses of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard. For those overseas, GM also collects gently used cell phones for Cell Phones for Soldiers in local communities and Chevrolet Dealerships nationwide.
Cell Phones for Soldiers collects and recycles gently-used cell phones. Donated devices are sent to Michigan-based ReCellular where they are either recycled or refurbished and sold. Funds raised are used to purchase prepaid international calling cards for military families dealing with deployment. To date more than 150 million minutes have helped families stay connected.
Participating schools:
Stevenson High School, Churchill High School, Franklin High School, Lakeview High School, Farmington High School, South Lyon High School, Northville High School, Melvindale High School, Dearborn High School, Fordson High School, Edsel Ford School, Romulus High School, Lake Shore High School, Romeo High School, Sterling Heights High School, River Rouge Tech High, L’Anse Creuse High School and Novi High School.
About GM Military Discount
General Motors supports military personnel by providing discounts for active duty members, reserves, and retirees of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard and Coast Guard. For more information on the GM Military Discount, visit www.gmmilitarydiscount.com
About Cell Phones for Soldiers
Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. (CPFS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing deployed and returning troops cost-free methods to communicate with family while serving in the United States military. Based in Norwell, Mass., CPFS was founded in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, then 12 and 13 years old. From the recycling of used mobile phones and cash donations, the organization has raised more than $7 million, collected 10 million cell phones and provided troops overseas with more than 150 million minutes of free talk time. For more information www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com. Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JoinCellPhonesforSoldiers.
About CBS Radio
CBS RADIO, one of the largest major-market operators in the United States with stations covering news, sports, talk, rock, oldies, country, adult contemporary and urban formats, among others, offers audiences an enhanced and customized listening experience through the combination of on-air, online and new media platforms. CBS RADIO operates 130 radio stations throughout the nation’s top 50 markets and broadcasts play-by-play coverage of more than two dozen of the country’s leading professional sports franchises. CBS RADIO also has embraced interactive programming through the use of streaming, HD Radio, podcasts and mobile messaging. The division maintains exclusive agreements with AOL Radio and Yahoo! Music through which CBS RADIO powers their online radio services and distributes their stations to its network of listeners. CBS RADIO is a division of CBS Corporation. For more information on CBS RADIO, please visit www.cbsradio.com.
