SENATOR DEFRANCISCO KICKS OFF HIS SEVENTH ANNUAL CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS COLLECTION DRIVE

State Senator John A. DeFrancisco, a United States Air Force veteran, kicked off his seventh-annual collection drive for Cell Phones For Soldiers on November 24th.  He was joined at his press conference to promote this important program by Syracuse Army Recruiting Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Paul T. Jackson and Helping Heroes Home Program Director David A. Foster.

Cell Phones For Soldiers, a national non-profit organization founded in 2004 by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist of Massachusetts, provides pre-paid calling cards to deployed troops, by raising funds through the recycling of donated mobile phones. All cellular phones are accepted with each recycled phone providing an average of two hours of free talk time. This calling card program is called Minutes that Matter.

“I continue to support this important cause because our brave men and women in uniform continue to make tremendous sacrifices to serve and protect this Nation,” said Senator DeFrancisco.

Since its inception, Cell Phones For Soldiers has provided more than 210 million minutes of prepaid calling card time to our deployed troops. In 2012, the charity launched a second program called Helping Heroes Home to expand support to veterans returning home from active duty. This newest initiative provides emergency funding for certain communication challenges, as well as for physical and emotional hardships. Helping Heroes Home is also funded through the recycling of mobile phones.

Senator DeFrancisco’s 2014-15 Cell Phones For Soldiers collection drive will run now through January 5, 2015. Central New Yorkers may begin to drop off their gently-used mobile phones at his district office in Syracuse OR at any of his other collection sites throughout Onondaga County and the City of Auburn:

District Office:

800 State Office Building
333 East Washington Street
Syracuse, New York 13202

*NEW COMMUNITY LOCATIONS*

• Clinton Square Ice Rink in Syracuse

• Lights on the Lake at Onondaga Lake Park, Liverpool

Malls:

• Great Northern Mall, ShoppingTown Mall, Destiny USA, and Fingerlakes Mall (box located at mall customer service desks)

Public Libraries/Offices:

• Baldwinsville Library - 33 East Genesee Street, Baldwinsville

• Fairmount Library - 406 Chapel Drive, Syracuse

• Fayetteville Free Library - 300 Orchard Street, Fayetteville

• Liverpool Public Library - 310 Tulip Street, Liverpool

• Manlius Library - 1 Arkie Albanese Avenue, Manlius

• Marcellus Free Library - 32 Maple Street, Marcellus

• Northern Onondaga Public Library - 100 Trolley Barn Lane, North Syracuse

• Onondaga County Public Library - 447 S. Salina Street, Syracuse

• Seymour Library - 176 Genesee Street, Auburn

• Skaneateles Library - 49 East Genesee Street, Skaneateles

• Solvay Library - 615 Woods Road, Syracuse

• White Branch Library - 763 Butternut Street, Syracuse

• Radisson Community Association Office - 3128 Amesbury Drive, Baldwinsville

Colleges:

Syracuse University (ROTC), Onondaga Community College and Le Moyne College

Military Locations:

• United States Army Recruiting Offices –Syracuse, Mattydale and Auburn

• Clear Path for Veterans - 1223 Salt Spring Road, Chittenango