Cell Phones for Soldiers and Capital One Distributes 40,000 Calling Cards to Five Army Bases
Boston, MA (PRWEB) October 15, 2013 -- Cell Phones for Soldiers®, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping military families connected while serving overseas, and Capital One, a Fortune 500 company with more than 900 branch locations in the United States, are donating 40,000 free international calling cards or 6 million minutes of talk time to five United States Army bases - Fort Belvoir, Fort Bliss, Fort Drum, Fort Lee and Fort Polk.
With more than 240,000 servicemen and women deployed overseas, according to IBM Research, calling home to speak to loved ones can be costly. The work of these two organizations provides reprieve on many levels.
A note received from a serviceman stationed in the Middle East captures the value provided by Cell Phones for Soldiers - “Thank you very much for the support! We all really appreciate it. Even with email and Facebook available to us, it is a wonder how much better a phone call can be for morale.”
“It is letters like this that keep Cell Phones for Soldiers and its amazing partners like Capital One compelled to keep military families connected,” said Robbie Bergquist, co-founder of the charity that has provided more than 192 million minutes of free talk time. “How often do we take for granted a quick call home to speak to our mom and dad? Yet, those serving our country don’t have that luxury, making a phone call one of the most priceless moments in their day or week.”
As a result of Capital One’s recent donation of $200,000 from its “Every Second Counts” campaign, in which the company donated talk time when Capital One customers used the company’s mobile banking app, Cell Phones for Soldiers has focused its services on the servicemen and women that live and work in states within Capital One’s banking footprint.
“Capital One has a longstanding history of supporting our military service members and their families and this is one small way we are helping to give back to those who have given so much in the service of our nation,” David Wright, Major, Army Ret. and Senior Vice President, Information Technology.
Since Capital One’s partnership with Cell Phones for Soldiers began three years ago, Capital One has donated 6,530,500 minutes to military members and their families, and has kept more than 8,860 unwanted cell phones out of landfills. All Capital One branches serve as donation drop-off locations for customers and associates to recycle gently-used cell phones each of which amounts to 30 minutes of talk time.
To support Cell Phones for Soldiers’ mission, please recycle or donate a gently-used cell phone or sell an Apple iPhone through the buyback program to generate valuable funds to support the charity’s mission. For more information, visit http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com for full details.
About Cell Phones for Soldiers
Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services to active-duty military members and veterans. Based in Norwell, Mass., Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, then 12 and 13 years old. The organization has provided 192 million minutes of free talk time to deployed military members. Beginning in 2012, “Helping Heroes Home” provides emergency funds for returning veterans to alleviate communication challenges as well as physical, emotional and assimilation hardships. For more information, visit http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com, http://www.helpingheroeshome.org, Facebook or Twitter.
Contacts:
Crystal Emerick
Cell Phones for Soldiers
cemerick(at)aspirecommunications(dot)org
704.361.5230
Mark Andrews
Capital One
mark.andrews(at)capitalone(dot)com
804.284.5800
Crystal Emerick, Cell Phones for Soldiers, http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/, +1 (704) 361-5230, [email protected]
Share this article