Cell Phones for Soldiers® Answers the Call for Troops During the Holidays
Boston, MA (PRWEB) December 10, 2013 -- With nearly 19,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan, according to the United States Department of Defense, a call home can be difficult during the holidays. Cell Phones for Soldiers® answers the call for troops by providing “Minutes that Matter”, a precious phone call to connect with loved ones.
“Minutes that Matter” is a long-standing program that provides free calling cards to servicemen and women. Calling cards can be requested from the charity’s website, cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
“It’s important to remember our troops and veterans all year, but there is a special need during the season of giving,” said Robbie Bergquist, co-founder of Cell Phones for Soldiers. “As we prepare to spend the holidays with our loved ones, so many military members don’t have the same opportunity and many veterans are struggling to provide for their families. Helping a service member call home or assisting a veteran to ‘get back on his feet’ is the least we can do.”
In the 12 years since troops began fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 2.6 million veterans have returned home and many are struggling to assimilate into post-combat life. “Helping Heroes Home", a Cell Phones for Soldiers program, is assisting veterans in need with one-time emergency funding. The program quickly amends a difficult situation for a veteran such as assisting with a mortgage or rent payment, cell phone service or car repair.
Veterans can be referred from a local Veterans Administration office or may apply online at helpingheroeshome.com.
Monetary donations are critical to positively supporting troops and veterans in need.
• A $1 donation provides 30 minutes of talk time for troops, affording them the opportunity to hear their child’s voice during the holidays.
• A $5 donation provides 2.5 hours of talk time for troops.
• A $25 donation provides 12.5 hours of talk time for troops.
• A $50 donation provides one cell phone with one month of service for a veteran.
• A $500 donation will provide 10 cell phones with one month of service or assist with a bill payment such as rent or mortgage, preventing a veteran from being evicted during the holidays.
For more information or to get involved, please visit http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
ABOUT CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS INC.
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 200 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, please visit cellphonesforsoldiers.com, http://www.helpingheroeshome.org, Facebook or Twitter.
Erin McCloskey, ASPIRE Communications, +1 (336) 207-5222, [email protected]
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