Organizations Join to Sponsor 'Cell Phones for Soldiers'

The campaign will help soldiers, marines, and airmen connect with their families.

A number of organizations across the Texas Tech campus are partnering throughout the month of April to collect used cell phones for the Cell Phones for Soldiers project.

“Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit campaign which collects old, used and even broken phones,” said Jeffrey Poole, a senior geophysics major from Austin, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, and event coordinator for the Texas Tech Veterans Association. “The phones are sold to refurbishing companies and the proceeds are used to purchase phone cards for our deployed military.”

Poole said the campaign is important because it helps connect soldiers, marines, and airmen with their families from whom they spend long periods of time apart. 

“I’ve been in their shoes and I know how difficult it is to be disconnected from your loved ones,” said Poole, who served two tours in Iraq.

Dates, times and locations of cell phone collection are as follows:

April 3, 7 p.m., SUB Allen Theater:  Tech Price is Right
April 5, 10 a.m., SUB west plaza
April 11, 11 a.m., SUB west basement: Bobble Heads
April 13, 5 p.m., Frazier Pavilion: RaiderFest
April 19, 10 a.m., SUB west plaza
April 26, 10 a.m., SUB west plaza
April 27, 11 a.m., Memorial Circle: Arbor Day

Cell phones also can be donated at the MVP office located in Doak Hall and the TAB office located in the SUB from April 2 to April 27.