Toledo Walleye will Collect Cell Phones For Soldiers
(TOLEDO, OH) – The Toledo Walleye are pleased to announce today their plans to collect old cell phones at home games on Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to bring their old cell phones to the Huntington Center and place them in collection bins that will be set up near each entrance.
The cell phone drive is part of Military Appreciation Night presented by Stautzenberger College. On Friday, the team will wear special patriotic themed jerseys that will be auctioned off for Heroes in Action, a military support group.
Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of pre-paid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas. To do so, Cell Phones for Soldiers expects to collect 50,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country.
The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.
“Americans will replace an estimated 130 million cell phones this year,” says Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular, “with the majority of phones either discarded or stuffed in a drawer. Most people don’t realize that the small sacrifice of donating their unwanted phones can have a tremendous benefit for a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers.”
Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
“Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family’s appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces,” says the teens’ father, Bob Bergquist. “Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments.”
Single-game tickets for the 2011-12 season are also available now by phone (419) 725-WALL or online at www.toledowalleye.com. The next home game for the Walleye is set for Wednesday, November 9 at 10:30 a.m. as they take on the Chicago Express.
**The Toledo Walleye play all of their home games at the Huntington Center in downtown Toledo. The Walleye are the proud ECHL affiliate of the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings.
Press Release Contact Name: Jason Griffin
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Organization Name: Toledo Walleye