Nearly 600 Cell Phones Collected in Cell Phones for Soldiers Phone Drive So Far

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2009

Contact: Bénédicte Doran
  (315) 428-7632

NEARLY 600 CELL PHONES COLLECTED IN CELL
PHONES FOR SOLDIERS PHONE DRIVE SO FAR
Senator DeFrancisco Urges Citizens to Drop off Old Cell Phones
If New Phones are Received Over the Holidays 
 
Senator John A. DeFrancisco (R-I-C, Syracuse) announced today that so far  Central New Yorkers have donated nearly 600 phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers. Public Affairs Specialist Garry Luke of the Syracuse Army Recruiting Battalion joined Senator DeFrancisco at a press conference this morning to encourage participation in this program. 

“The outpouring of support and generosity of our community is tremendous and so far has resulted in 36,000 free minutes in talk time for our deserving soldiers.  This translates into 1 hour of talk time for 600 soldiers,” said Senator DeFrancisco. “I can’t think of a better gift for a family to receive for the holidays than a conversation with a loved one serving overseas.”

“This program has already been a tremendous success and we are only halfway through the drive,” said Specialist Luke.  “I hope that as Central New Yorkers receive phones as gifts in the next few weeks that they will remember our soldiers and donate their old phones to this wonderful cause.”

 Local residents can support the collection drive by dropping off phones at the food courts at Great Northern and Shoppingtown malls or by delivering the phones to Senator DeFrancisco’s Office:
  
 800 State Office Building
 333 East Washington Street
 Syracuse, New York 13202
(315) 428-7632

 Donated phones will be sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers about $5 for each phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.

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