For young soldiers serving in foreign lands thousands of miles from home, being able to hear their loved ones? voices and talk to them directly is a priceless comfort.
That’s why U.S. Air Force veteran John Manzella, of Oxford, is working hard to make sure our brave men and women serving overseas in places like Iraq and Afghanistan get prepaid calling cards through a program called Cell Phones for Soldiers.
‘Calling home really helps when you’re gone,? said Manzella, who spent two of his four years in the Air Force stationed in England in the early 1980s. ‘Not communicating with your family is rough. That was a big bummer.?
Manzella recently set up a World War II Army foot locker to collect used cell phones at Clear Lake Elementary, where his daughter, Kayla, is a third-grader. Within a week, 24 used cell phones, plus accessories such as chargers and batteries, were donated.
‘My box is full of phones, so it was a pretty big hit over there,? he said.
Despite the program’s name, the used cell phones are not shipped to soldiers serving over seas. Instead, they’re sent to the Dexter, Michigan-based ReCellular, Inc., a cell phone recycling company, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone.
The amount paid for each phone is enough to provide one hour of talk time to soldiers aboard. ‘They get to call home for free,? Manzella said.
Back when he was stationed in England, Manzella said calling home was a difficult thing. ‘Every time I’d call home, I’d get disconnected. It would cost a fortune. I gave up. I couldn’t even call home,? he said.
Manzella doesn’t want today’s soldiers to experience the same problems he had.
Since its founding, Cell Phones for Soldiers has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 400,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas, according to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
The nonprofit organization hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas.
To accomplish this, Cell Phones for Soldiers expected to collect 15,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the nation.
Manzella’s been collecting used cell phones at his workplace, the Romeo Engine Plant, where he serves as a financial advisor to retiring workers and those taking buyouts.
He was recently contacted ‘out of the blue? by Almont Middle School, where students collected a ‘huge box? of cell phones. He’s going to pick them up June 2 during a special ceremony.
‘It’s really cute how these kids are all into this,? Manzella said.
Outside of schools, Wireless Toyz indicated it’s willing to have a Cell Phones for Soldiers collection box inside its downtown Oxford store, according to Manzella.
Those wishing to donate used cell phones can reach Manzella via e-mail at john.manzella@lpl.com.
For more information about the program visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.