Griffo, veterans start cell phones for soldiers drive - Oneida Dispatch

UTICA, N.Y.  – In grant of Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month, authorities Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-I-C-Rome, joined AT&T representatives and the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center Thursday to footwear disconnected this year’s Cell Phones For Soldiers postulation drive.

For each donated phone, mobile instrumentality oregon tablet valued astatine $5, Cell Phones For Soldiers is capable to supply 2.5 hours of escaped speech clip to deployed troops via calling cards. All proceeds from the recycled devices volition beryllium utilized to bargain agelong region calling cards and different connection services for troops astatine location and abroad.

As galore arsenic 200,000 troops are serving successful the U.S. subject astir the satellite and by donating to Cell Phones For Soldiers, section residents and businesses tin supply a invaluable lifeline for America’s bravest men and women to link with loved ones backmost home.

“The holidays tin beryllium a hard clip for members of our subject due to the fact that they are often truthful acold distant from their families,” Griffo said successful a quality release. “The elemental dependable of a loved one’s dependable tin spell a agelong mode to assistance their spirits.”

The postulation thrust starts connected Veterans Day, Nov. 11 and runs done Saturday, Dec. 11. The nationalist and businesses tin driblet disconnected gently-used and unwanted compartment phones and tablets astatine postulation bins successful AT&T stores passim the portion and astatine respective nationalist locations passim the senator’s district.

“These brave men and women person stepped up to service our nation, and I americium arrogant to beryllium teaming up with AT&T, the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center, Cell Phones for Soldiers and section businesses and organizations to assistance link these troops to their families backmost home,” Griffo said.

Drop-off locations include:

-Jervis Public Library: 613 N. Washington St., Rome

-Adirondack Bank Center, 400 Oriskany St. W., Utica

-Central New York Veterans Outreach Center, 726 Washington St., Utica

-Utica Public Library: 303 Genesee St., Utica

-Chanatry’s Hometown Market: 485 French Road, Utica

-Utica State Office Building: 207 Genesee St., Utica

-Turning Stone Resort Casino: 5218 Patrick Road, Verona

-New Hartford Public Library: 2 Library Lane, New Hartford

-Lloyds of Lowville: 7405 S. State St., Lowville

AT&T Stores

-4777 Commercial Drive, New Hartford

-1319 Erie Boulevard W., Rome

-224 N. Genesee St., Utica

-220 Genesee St., Oneida.

This is the sixth twelvemonth that the drive, led by Senator Griffo and AT&T, has taken place. Residents passim Sen. Griffo’s territory person donated astir 5,801 devices and person provided troops with much than 500,000 minutes, much than 8,300 hours, of escaped calls.

“As a institution that connects the world, AT&T believes that 1 of the champion ways to enactment and convey the brave men and women that support and service our country, and the veterans earlier them, is by helping to support them connected with their family, friends and loved ones,” Greeley Ford, AT&T elder web engineer, said.

“We are highly honored to collaborate with Senator Griffo and Cell Phones For Soldiers again this twelvemonth to promote this kindhearted and generous assemblage to articulation america successful supporting veterans, progressive subject unit and their families by donating their utilized mobile phones, tablets and different wireless devices,” Ford continued.

Cell Phones For Soldiers was founded successful 2004 by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist astatine the ages of 12 and 13. The foundation has since provided much than 300 cardinal minutes of escaped speech clip to servicemen and women stationed astir the satellite done its calling paper program, Minutes That Matter.

“We are truthful grateful to AT&T, Senator Griffo, and his constituents for their ongoing enactment of our ngo to link America’s bravest,” Rob Bergquist, laminitis and president of Cell Phones For Soldiers, said. “As we attack our nineteenth twelvemonth of helping subject work members and veterans, we proceed to service those who served our state and look guardant to expanding our mission.”

Funds raised from the recycling of cellular phones are utilized to acquisition prepaid planetary calling cards. On average, Cell Phones For Soldiers distributes 1,500 calling cards each week to bases astir the world, attraction bundle programs, deployment ceremonies and VA hospitals.

“We present person the capableness to enactment donated mobile devices that person been collected done events similar Senator Griffo’s and AT&T’s thrust successful the hands of low-income and at-risk veterans. These devices volition beryllium lifelines to assistance veterans successful request link with captious resources,” Berquist said.

Since 2004 the foundation has provided U.S. troops with much than 400 cardinal “Minutes That Matter” and distributed much than 5 cardinal prepaid planetary calling cards and person recycled much than 25 cardinal mobile devices, reducing the interaction connected landfills.

“The vacation play tin beryllium a hard and trying clip for galore families, particularly for those who person a loved 1 serving successful the subject and distant from home,” Vincent Scalise, Central New York Veterans Outreach Center enforcement director, said. “I convey Sen. Griffo for again spearheading this postulation thrust and for his continued enactment of our equipped forces and their families.”

A donation of a mobile instrumentality to this assemblage postulation thrust doesn’t conscionable assistance link progressive subject and veterans with loved ones, it besides helps support the situation by decently and safely recycling them truthful not to origin physics waste, which tin beryllium highly harmful to the situation if it ends up successful a landfill.

Electronics specified arsenic mobile devices bash not past a lifetime, yet they are made with products that are non-disposable, specified arsenic cadmium, mercury, and pb arsenic good arsenic lithium batteries and rare-earth minerals, and commonly cased successful plastic—all things that tin origin harm to h2o supplies and ecosystems.

Cell Phones For Soldiers works with a recycling spouse which dismantles the instrumentality securely, identifying which components whitethorn beryllium resold for reuse. This helps chopped the request for mining successful susceptible locations, and provides backing for the enactment to assistance work members pass with location and enactment veterans successful need.

For much accusation connected Cell Phones For Soldiers, delight sojourn www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

To hole a mobile telephone for donation present are immoderate tips connected however to erase each idiosyncratic accusation that whitethorn beryllium stored connected it to support your privacy:

-Remove your phone’s SIM paper Erase your code book, photos, messages and different stored information.

-Restore the instrumentality mill settings connected your device. For instructions connected however to bash this, spell to owner’s manual oregon to the manufacturers’ web site.

For much than a century, AT&T has proudly supported progressive subject personnel, their families and veterans, including helping veterans and progressive subject modulation into the workforce.

AT&T recognizes however invaluable veterans’ leadership, captious thinking, and divers perspectives tin be, and the institution has invested successful programs focused connected the modulation from subject work to a civilian firm setting, with much than 12,000 progressive employees self-identifying arsenic a seasoned arsenic of June 2021.

Since 2007, AT&T and its customers person donated much than $65 cardinal and distributed much than 800,000 pre-paid calling cards to servicemen and women and Military Friendly mag has recognized AT&T arsenic a apical 10 marque successful 2022.

AT&T’s continued enactment of progressive military, veterans and their families intimately align with the company’s committedness to FirstNet, Built with AT&T, America’s information communications level providing archetypal responders with a reliable, highly secure, interoperable, and innovative wireless communications and broadband web dedicated to nationalist safety.

For much accusation connected Cell Phones for Soldiers, delight sojourn www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.