UM Kicks Off Cell Phones For Soldiers Campaign

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi community is joining
forces with the national Cell Phones for Soldiers campaign to collect
5,000 used cell phones in the week leading up to Saturday’s football
game against Louisiana State University.

Every cell phone collected will provide a 60-minute prepaid phone card
for one of the 5,000 Mississippi soldiers serving in Afghanistan and
Iraq. Individuals can recycle their cell phones by bringing them to
drop-off points at the J.D. Williams Library, Student Union, Inn at Ole
Miss, Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce and Lafayette County
Library.

“Although our goal is to collect 5,000 cell phones,
we want to go beyond that goal, especially with the upcoming holiday
season,” said Anne McCauley, project coordinator of the Office of
Campus Sustainability. “Also, I think it’s a good idea to make people
aware that you can recycle a cell phone even after the campaign.”

Sponsored by Alumni Affairs, Office of the Dean of Students,
Office of Campus Sustainability, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and the
Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the statewide campaign started on a
small scale during Ole Miss Green Week in spring 2009. But Associate
Dean of Students Melinda Carlson said she hopes the program continues
as long as Mississippi soldiers are deployed overseas.

“We have collected approximately 200 cell phones so far,”
Carlson said. “If we receive 5,000 cell phones, this would give us the
ability to send each soldier deployed from Mississippi one phone card
to call their families, but I am confident we will get more.

 
“The best gift that anyone can give a deployed soldier is the gift of staying connected to those they love.”

Once the cell phones are collected, they will be sent to a cell
phone recycling company. The proceeds will be used to purchase calling
cards for the soldiers. Not only should cell phones be in good
condition, but all private data should be erased before donating a used
phone. Cell phones can also be mailed to Cell Phones for Soldiers
Campaign, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677.

The recycling effort will broaden for Saturday’s football game,
McCauley said. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., three collection points will be
housed under tents at the Student Union Plaza, E.F. Yerby Conference
Center and Starnes Athletic Training Center.

“We wanted to set up three additional points so it’s convenient
to bring and deliver your cell phone before you go to the game,”
McCauley said.

Juliana Smith, president of the Student Athlete Advisory
Committee, said her organization decided to get involved with the Cell
Phones for Soldiers initiative because it is a great way for
student-athletes to collaborate with different campus organizations for
a great cause.

“Our organization has been brainstorming ways to bridge the gap
between student athletes and the general student body, and this was the
perfect start to what we hope to be a lasting relationship,” Smith said.

Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Brittany and
Robbie Bergquist in Norwell, Mass. Starting with only $21, the
nonprofit organization has garnered national attention and has raised
nearly $2 million in donations. Since the campaign’s debut, more than
500,000 prepaid calling cards have been distributed to soldiers serving
overseas.

For more information, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/green/cellphones.html.