RED BUD, Ill. – State Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steelville, recently sent another collection of donated cell phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers, a charity which helps service members who are stationed overseas stay connected with their families in the U.S., as part of his local drive for the organization.

“The brave men and women serving our country in the armed forces deserve to be able to stay in touch with their family, friends and loved ones, which can be a challenge in some situations,” Reitz said. “My office is partnering with Cell Phones for Soldiers to help service members and their families stay connected. If anyone has a cell phone that they are no longer using, I encourage them to donate it to this cause through my district office. That phone is worth the cost of an invaluable connection to home for a soldier fighting overseas.”

Reitz has volunteered his office as a drop off point for used cell phones to give to the non-profit, Cell Phones for Soldiers, which recycles old cell phones to fund the purchase of calling cards for soldiers stationed abroad. If you have a cell phone that is no longer being used, and would like to join the effort, you can drop it off at Reitz’s district office, located at 124 Locust Street in Red Bud.

“It’s wonderful to see so many community members who are joining together to help with this important cause and donating many old cell phones to help connect soldiers and their loved ones,” said Reitz. “My office will continue to collect phones to donate, especially as we begin to enter the holiday season when many of our soldiers overseas are giving up time with their family and friends to help keep us safe.”

For more information, please contact Reitz’s constituent service office at 618-282-7284 or by email at RepNReitz@Gmail.com. 

JOLIET, Ill. – This week 400 Illinois National Guardsmen and women from the 1^st battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment will begin their prepping for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. State Rep. Larry Walsh, D-Elwood, is urging local residents to help provide those solders with a free way to call home by donating gently-used mobile phones through Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. at his district office located at 121 Springfield Ave. in Joliet.

“This is the largest deployment of Illinois National Guard members in a decade and we need to do everything we can to help support them,” Walsh said. “The least we can do is support those who serve in our armed forces and their families.”

The National Guard unit Walsh is referring to are members of the 1st Battalion of the 178th Infantry Regiment (1-178 IN), of which some are stationed at the Joliet Armory. Walsh is asking residents to consider donating gently used cell phones valued at $5 or more, which can help get a solider two-and-a-half hours of free time to talk with loved ones back home. To date Cell Phone for Soldiers’ “Minutes That Matter Program” has provided over 300 million minutes of talk time to our troops serving around the world.

“These soldiers are interrupting their own lives, leaving their families for a year, to support counter-terrorism efforts and help keep us safe,” Walsh said. “I encourage everyone to donate leftover cell phones to give these local men and women opportunities to talk to loved one while they’re away.”

Soldiers from 1-178 IN are currently undergoing additional training prior to deploying in Fort Bliss, Texas. For more information on this event or similar drives for members of the U.S. Armed Forces, please contact Walsh’s constituent office by phone at 815-730-8600 or email statereplarrywalshjr@gmail.com.

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – To help deployed service members call home, state Rep. Daniel Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, is asking residents for donations of old or unused cell phones. Donations will go to Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that lets active duty military
personnel call home with no charge.

“Active duty soldiers can come home with thousands of dollars in phone bills,” Didech said. “Cellphones for Soldiers makes it possible for them to stay in touch with loved ones for free.”

Cell Phones for Soldiers has provided over 300 million hours of free talk time to active duty members of the armed forces since its creation in 2004. The charity provides old cell phones to members of the US military, and provides donated minutes to allow them to call home without
incurring expensive long-distance phone bills. Didech set his office up as a location for residents to drop off their old cell phones to be sent to the organization.

“There are a lot of old cellphones lying around that could be put to good use,” Didech continued. “Any unused phones, including old flip phones, can help an active duty service member stay in touch with their family while serving our country.”

Residents interested in making a donation should bring their old cell phones to Didech’s constituent service office at 3050 N. Main St. in Buffalo Grove. For more information, please call Didech’s office at 847-478-9909, or visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com. 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, who was recently appointed to serve on the Illinois House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is making her Lombard district office a permanent collection site for the Cell Phones for Soldiers program.

“Cell Phones for Soldiers is a great program that makes it easier for deployed servicemembers to stay in touch with the people they love,” Costa Howard said. “I am proud to help my constituents show support for our troops by providing a convenient place for them to donate gently used cell phones and other electronics.”

Cell Phones for Soldiers is a national non-profit organization that resells and recycles used cell phones, smartphones, tablets and other devices. The organization then uses the proceeds to provide cost-free communication to active-duty military members and to make emergency grants to soldiers who are transitioning back into civilian life.

Costa Howard has designated her constituent service office as a permanent Cell Phones for Soldiers drop-off site. Local residents are encouraged to bring their old cellphones and tablets to Costa Howard’s Lombard office, at 913 S. Main St., during normal business hours.

“As a new member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I am proud to have a voice on legislation that will help to improve the quality of life for our nation’s heroes,” Costa Howard said. “By supporting Cell Phones for Soldiers, we can make a positive difference in the lives of active-duty personnel and help them and their families when they come back home.”

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – To help deployed service members call home for the holidays, state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, is asking residents for donations of old or unused cell phones. Donations will go to Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that lets active duty military personnel call home with no charge.

“It used to be common for active duty service members to come home with thousands of dollars in phone bills,” Carroll said. “Cell Phones for Soldiers makes it possible for them to stay in touch with loved ones for free.”

Cell Phones for Soldiers has provided over 300 million hours of free talk time to active duty members of the armed forces since its creation in 2004. The charity provides old cell phones to members of the US military, and provides donated minutes to allow them to call home without incurring expensive long-distance phone bills.

“Most people these days will switch their cell phone every few years,” Carroll continued. “If you have unused phones lying around, especially old flip phones, this is a way to put them to good use. We want to help Cell Phones for Soldiers connect as many of the troops with their families as possible before the holidays.”

Residents interested in making a donation should bring their phones to Carroll’s constituent service office at 820 S. Buffalo Grove Rd. in Buffalo Grove. For more information, please call Carroll’s office at 847-229-5499, or visit cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Continuing his efforts to support troops deployed overseas, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, announces he is launching a “Cell Phones for Soldiers” program and encourages local residents to participate with the project.

“This is a great program that will help deployed veterans connect with their family while they are off aboard,” Moylan said. “Please make good use of any cell phones, smartphones, MP3 players and tablets that you are no longer using by donating them to this program.”

“Cell Phones for Soldiers” is designed to collect used electronic devices and sell them to be refurbished or recycled. The nonprofit organization then takes the proceeds they gained from the donated electronics and other charitable donations to send prepaid international calling cards to troops to use via their military approved phones. Each donated mobile phone valued at $5 will provide a veteran with an estimated two-and-a-half hours of free talk. Proceeds are also used to continue the Helping Heroes Home program. This program consists of emergency funds that have assisted over 2,800 veterans.

Residents are encouraged to drop items off at Rep. Moylan’s full-time constituent office located at 24 S. Des Plaines River Road in Des Plaines. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For your convenience, items can also be slipped through the mail slot.

“I encourage any and all residents to please stop by my office and donate their old cell phones or tablets they are not using anymore, to a great cause that directly benefits our veterans,” Moylan said. “I’m sure the brave men and women would greatly appreciate the calling cards to connect them with their family.”

For more information about the “Cell Phones for Soldiers” program, please contact Rep. Moylan’s full-time constituent service office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

DECATUR, Ill. –State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, is partnering with the nonprofit Cell Phones for Soldiers, Inc. to create a permanent drop-off location for old and used cell phones to help military members serving overseas keep in touch with their loved ones at her district office located at 1301 E. Mound Rd. in Decatur.

Cell Phones for Soldiers accepts gently used cell phones and donates them to Mindful eCycling for recycling. For every donated phone valued at $5, Cell Phones for Soldiers is able to provide two and a half hours of free talk time to deployed troops.

“One of the many sacrifices made by service men and women is that they may face difficulties staying in touch with friends and family members while they are thousands of miles away from home,” said Scherer. “Donating your used cell phones is an easy way to help connect members of the military with their loved ones.”

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 210 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 3,200 calling cards each week to bases around the world, care package programs, deployment ceremonies and VA hospitals.

“It’s important to me to support those who make a commitment to defend our country,” said Scherer. “We can never fully thank the members of our armed forces for all that they do, but supporting this cell phone drive is a small step in making them feel closer to home.”

For more information, please contact Scherer’s constituent service office at 217-877-9636 or by email at StateRepSue@gmail.com. Scherer represents the 96th District, which includes portions of Christian, Macon and Sangamon counties.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – For over a year, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, and his staff pushed a sustained effort for collecting hundreds of used cell phones from local organizations, businesses and individuals to donate to Cell Phones for Soldiers, a nonprofit organization that uses the donations to help active duty soldiers to stay in touch with their family and friends while deployed.

“We’ve been running the phone drive for over a year, and it’s been very successful,” Hoffman said. “There have been a couple hundred of phones donated and that has resulted in hours and hours of time for our troops to talk with their family and friends.”

In addition to the phone drive, similar efforts are being pushed to support Cell Phone for Soldiers Minutes That Matter Program. Every gently used phone that is donated, which is valued at $5 dollars, can get a solider two and a half hours of free time to talk with loved ones back in the states. To date over 300 million minutes of talk time have been given and used by our troops serving around the world.

“Donating’s these phones can go a long way to insure our men and women in uniform can stay in touch with their loved ones”, Hoffman said. “In the coming weeks and months I encourage residents in the area to stop my office at 312 S. High St. in Belleville to donate any leftover cellphones they no longer need.”

For more information on this event or similar drives for the soldiers of the U.S. Armed Forces, please contact Hoffman’s constituent office by phone at 618-416-7407 or email repjayhoffman@gmail.com.

Schaumburg, Ill. – State Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, is asking residents to donate used cell phones at her district office, located at 15 Weathersfield Way in Schaumburg, to help military members serving abroad call home through her partnership with Cell Phones for Soldiers and the Helping Heroes Home program.

“Members of our armed services can be thousands of miles away from home, which often becomes a hardship for both soldiers and their families,” Mussman said. “I appreciate the opportunity to help our servicemen and women by partnering with Cell Phones for Soldiers and the Helping Heroes Home program. If I can use my office to help even just one military family, then that is time well spent.”

Cell Phones for Soldiers accepts used cell phones, tablets, and laptops and has them recycled. The proceeds are used to purchase international calling cards given to military members serving abroad. Teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist founded the organization in 2004 and have since donated more than 210 million free talk minutes to U.S. military members serving around the world.

Mussman has arranged for her district office to serve as a permanent drop off location for cell phones and tablets and urges residents to drop off their old devices to help active duty military members connect with their families at no-cost.

“As the mother of three boys, including one away at college, I know it can be difficult when you haven’t heard from your child for an extended period of time, and for military families, that feeling is amplified,” Mussman said. “Many of us have old phones we’re no longer using. By donating them to these great organizations via my district office, our old phones will bring military families closer together.”