Connecting to Soldiers to Their Loved Ones
In 2004, Brittany and Robbie Bergquist set up Cellphones for Soldiers using a mere $21 from their own pockets. At the time, the siblings were 13 and 12 respectively. Today, the worthy charitable organization has raised more than $7m in donations. As a result, more than 500,000 pre-paid calling cards have been sent to American soldiers overseas, which equals 114 million minutes of free talk time. Now the plan is to convert old cellular phones into around 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for these soldiers. To make this happen, the charity needs to collect 50,000 old cellphones every month.
Through its incredible work, Cell Phones for Soldiers has enhanced the lives of soldiers and their loved ones, by facilitating their communication connectivity through otherwise impossible circumstances. These soldiers – working for all of America – receive free communication tools wherever they are stationed. Anything that is donated that equals $5 (a used phone or a monetary contribution) results in 2.5 hours of free talk time for soldiers.
According to Bob Bergquist, Brittany and Robbie’s father, “Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family's appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces. Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments.”