Cell phones can help fund St Charles church

Parishioners of St. Patrick Church in St. Charles can help the environment and contribute to the church's building fund in one simple gesture: They can donate their old cell phones.

St. Charles businessman and former Alderman Fred Rosenthal said he hopes to launch the program and keep it going.

He was married at St. Patrick Church 38 years ago and has been a member for 35 of those years.

Here's how he envisions it working: Rosenthal is an environmental specialist and consultant on waste disposal and recycling alternatives.

He has recently partnered with Vertex Wireless in West Chicago. Vertex buys used cell phones and rebuilds them, or removes usable parts from them. Before the phones are rebuilt, personal data is deleted.

Vertex pays anywhere between $2 and $15 for each used or discarded phone it buys.

Rosenthal will collect the phones from St. Patrick parishioners, or anyone who designates their phone for the St. Patrick fund, and donate 100 percent of his receipts to the church's capital campaign.

"I'm not making a dime on the deal," Rosenthal said. "I believe there are enough used phones out there to make it worthwhile."

Rosenthal estimates if 25 percent of the household members of the St. Patrick parish turn in two phones, with an average rebate of $7 per phone, the venture could raise about $20,000.

The parish has doubled over the last 14 years and grown to include 4,500 families. The parish has a church at 408 Cedar St. and at 6N491 Crane Road. St. Patrick has launched a $12 million capital campaign to build a rectory and parish office at its Crane Road site.

Rosenthal pointed out that helping the building fund is not the only plus. He said research indicates more than 2 million phones are adding hazardous waste to landfills each week across the nation. The phones can leak toxic substances such as lead and mercury.

Phones can be sent to or dropped off at 1232 S. 10th St. in St. Charles.

"I really want to get this program started and build on it," Rosenthal said. "I'd like to hear from businesses who would be willing to provide more drop-off locations."

Rosenthal can be reached at (630) 926-3109.