Coakley's Office Donates Phones to Help Soldiers
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"Many of our young servicemen and -women spend months overseas serving our country, far away from their friends and families. One of the simplest ways that we can support our troops is to help make it easier for them to stay in touch with their loved ones here at home," said Coakley, a North Adams native. "Cell Phones for Soldiers is a wonderful organization and I'm very proud of how generous the staff here in the attorney general's office has been in our efforts to support this fantastic cause."
.jpg) Photo courtesy attorney general's office
Attorney General Martha Coakley, second from left, stands with Cell Phones for Soldiers founders Robbie, left, and Brittany Bergquist and their cousin Lt. Quentin Carmichael. |
On Monday, Coakley presented the donations to siblings Brittany and Robbie Bergquist of Norwell, the teenage founders of Cell Phones for Soldiers, and their cousin, Army National Guard Lt. Quentin Carmichael, who recently returned from deployment in Kosovo.
Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded in April 2004 by Brittany and Robbie, who were then 13 and 12, respectivel. Donated phones are sent to ReCellular, a cell phone recycling company in Michigan, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. Since its inception, the organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 400,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
Cell Phones for Soldiers will collect donations at the Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod on Aug. 10. In addition, the organization has more than 3,000 collection sites across the country. For information on how to donate, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com or e-mail cellphonesforsoldiers@yahoo.com.
