Jackson Heights, NY— United Spinal Association recently participated in the Cell Phones for Soldiers Program by donating 45 second-hand cell phones. The program is in partnership with ReCellular, Inc., the world’s largest recycler and reseller of used cellular phones and accessories based in Dexter, Michigan.

Founded by two teenagers, Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., Cell Phones for Soldiers is a 501c3 non-profit organization that collects donated cell phones from various people and organizations in order to provide soldiers with calling cards. The organization has raised over $1 million in donations and has distributed more than 40,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

“This was a prefect opportunity for United Spinal’s participation. We already serve veterans, specifically those who have incurred spinal cord injuries; this is a neat program that allows us to be of more support for our soldiers overseas,” noted United Spinal’s Nelson Ortiz, who organized the drive for the association.

Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas in 2007. To do so, they expect to collect 15,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country.