Donate old cell phones to aid troops

A Mundelein High School student group is collecting old cellular phones as a way to help U.S. soldiers overseas connect with loved ones.

The student leadership organization project ties into a nonprofit effort called Cell Phones for Soldiers that was founded by two Massachusetts children in 2004.

Used phones will be given to a Michigan company called ReCellular that recycles the devices. The firm then will give money to the Cell Phones for Soldiers organization, which will use the cash to buy prepaid calling cards for American troops in Iraq and elsewhere around the globe.

Each donated phone will pay for more than an hour of call time, organizers said.

"Most people don't realize that the small sacrifice of donating their unwanted phones can have a tremendous benefit for a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers," Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular, said in a news release.

Donated phones aren't sent to the soldiers.

To participate, you can drop off cell phones at the main office at Mundelein High, 1350 W. Hawley St.

Co-Interim Superintendent Linda Hanson said it's important for kids to think charitably. The cell phone drive accomplishes that in a non-traditional way, she said.

"Hopefully this will help us think creatively of ways to help not only soldiers but others in need," Hanson said.

The effort also brings the troops' experiences and sacrifices closer to students, Hanson said.

"I think that efforts that connect kids to a greater world awareness, like the war in Iraq, are in some ways what school is all about," she said. "It's a form of education."

The Cell Phones for Soldiers group has raised almost $1 million since it began. It has distributed more than 400,000 calling cards.

For more information about ReCellular, visit www.recellular.com.

For more information about the Cell Phones for Soldiers drive, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.