ATLANTIC BAY MORTGAGE GROUP AND CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS KICK OFF COLLECTION DRIVE IN CHESAPEAKE , NEWPORT NEWS

Chesapeake, Va., February 2008 – Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group and Cell Phones for Soldiers are calling on all Americans to donate cell phones and accessories to benefit our armed forces overseas. Cell Phones for Soldiers will turn the donations into prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas to use, keeping them connected with their families back home. 

Local residents can support the collection drive by donating cell phones of any make, model and condition (as well as accessories, chargers, batteries, PDAs and pagers) at any Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group location Monday thru Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., including:

-               118 Great Bridge Blvd., Chesapeake, VA 23320

-               2540 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23452

-               11715 Jefferson Ave., Newport News, VA 23606

“Since June 2006, we’ve collected 570 cell phones from mostly folks in Virginia Beach,” says Gary Hudgins, Marketing Director of Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group. In 2007, he says, Atlantic Bay sent six big boxes of cell phone donations in -- about 250 pounds worth of cell phone equipment. But the Virginia Beach-based company wants to increase the donations by making it easier for more of Hampton Roads to get involved, through their offices in Newport News and Chesapeake. “It’s not hard to imagine how much it means to a soldier overseas to be able to call his family back home,” Hudgins adds. “If you’ve got old cell phone stuff in your junk drawer, please bring it to us.”

Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas. Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquists hope to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones and prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis.

The phones are sent to ReCellular, Inc., the world's largest recycler and reseller of used cellular phones and accessories. ReCellular pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. Approximately half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in over 40 countries around the world. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to reclaim materials, including:

•              Gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards

•              Copper wiring from phone chargers

•              Nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs

•              Plastic from phone cases and accessories

For additional information visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.