Donate My Cell Phone To The 911 Cell Phone Bank. » Bob Mikler

US Post Office Announces New Shipping Boxes

Bob Mikler — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:59:47 +0000

The US Postal Service has recently announced a new series of their priority mail shipping boxes. The new box, which will be utilized by the 911 Cell Phone Bank whenever possible, has been designed with the intent to lower shipping costs. These new boxes (Regional Rate Box A ) are slightly different in overall size, but will hold approximately the same number of phones as did the old FRB-1 medium flat rate box. The real advantage to the new boxes is that we should be able to reduce our shipping costs by a factor of 20% to as much as 30% overall. We are asking all of our clients to let us know when we can ship a supply of these new boxes to them, and also for our clients to recycle the old FRB-1 box for other purposes rather than simply discarding them, so we can begin saving as soon as possible.

For those clients that have the ability to print their own labels, nothing has changed in that regard. The same label you have always used in the past will still be valid for the new box. However, if you desire us to print labels for you, we can always do that as well. As always, we greatly appreciate your participation in our program, and look forward to continuing to work together with you all, in the future.

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Bob Mikler — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:01:34 +0000

Were you aware that November is Lung Cancer Awareness month? On November 4th, volunteers from all over the country will gather at many locations for a vigil to raise awareness of this dreadful disease. The chapter in Central Florida, headed up by Lisa Nichols, is going to be using this vigil as an opportunity to [...]

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group joins the 911 Cell Phone Bank Program

Bob Mikler — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:17:24 +0000

“We are very grateful that the 911 Cell Phone Bank reached out to Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group with the idea of donating the phones left behind by our Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental customers. Our locations find a great deal of cell phones in our rental cars that go unclaimed despite numerous attempts to return them to their owners. Now, because of this organization, rather than wastefully disposing of these cell phones, we are able to put them in the hands of people that truly can benefit from them, often needing them for survival purposes. The 911 Cell Phone Bank has been easy to work with and made the donation process seamless.”
This is how Anna Cook, Staff Manager, Corporate Communications, Tulsa, OK has described the transition to the 911 Cell Phone Bank program for donating lost cell phones they find in their rental cars. As a part of this program, each participating location was issued its own shipping packages so phones could be sent in as soon as they became available. This also allows the corporate office to obtain accurate records of participation, by location. Additional locations can be added at any time, and we are encouraged that eventually every single Dollar Thrifty rental location will be a provider of these units, whether only 1 or many. As somebody famously said, “it’s the thought that counts” and in this case there are many. Thanks, Dollar Thrifty, for thinking of us.

It Pays to Advertise, Chapter 2

Bob Mikler — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:33:02 +0000

It is a proven fact that in order for a program to succeed, it needs exposure. Undersheriff Michael Vasicek of the Midland County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office, provides a vivid example of just how that works. He stated that, at a July 14th “Senior Health Fair” which was hosted by approximately 12 agencies with senior citizen responsibilities, he made a presentation of the 911 Cell Phone Bank program to almost 200 senior citizens who were in attendance. As a direct result of his presentation, he distributed all of the cell phones he had brought with him and has had to order another supply to complete his request list. Seniors who had never heard of the program, but who could see the benefits of having an “emergency” phone, were eager to obtain one. There will now be many more Midland County residents who will be more secure, especially away from home.
Thanks to Undersheriff Vasicek and the Midland County Sheriff’s Office for being an active supporter of the program. We need more like you.

It Pays to Be Prepared

Bob Mikler — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:39:39 +0000

The following article appeared in the May 5, 2010 edition of the “Dear Abby” newspaper column:

“Early this year, my mother went to the curb to collect the empty trash bin. As she wheeled it behind her home, she slipped on the ice and broke her hip. She lives alone and was in the back of her property. Fortunately, she’d had the foresight to grab her cell phone before she went outside. Because she was unable to stand up she could have frozen to death. She called 911 and within minutes an ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital. Mom had surgery to repair the hip and is recovering, but it was a close call. This is a reminder to your readers that if they live alone to make sure to have a cell phone available at all times”.

This advice is perfect for all people – you never know when, where, how, or why you may need to make an emergency phone call. If you don’t have a cell phone for this purpose, please contact your local law enforcement agency or senior citizens group to see if they have them available. The 911 Cell Phone Bank exists for this very purpose – to provide such communications to those who are in need. If none exist in your local area, contact the 911 Cell Phone Bank at www.911cellphonebank.org and find out how you can begin a collection / distribution center in your area.

Welcome to new Partner

Bob Mikler — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:01:55 +0000

Please welcome a new partner to the 911 Cell Phone Bank program – CellularOne of NE Arizona. This company, with over 180 local employees in 24 neighborhood stores in Arizona and New Mexico, is proud to join our program for the purposes of providing additional emergency use cell phones to citizens in need and also becoming a responsible recycling outlet. This also expands the base of drop off locations available to those who wish to contribute their used cell phones to the 911 Cell Phone Bank.
If you live in either the Northwest portion of New Mexico or the Northeast portion of Arizona, and are looking for a cellular service provider, get the power of the towers with CellularOne’s expanded local and nationwide network coverage. CellularOne is continually adding new towers and upgrading network technology to provide the power of better service and more coverage. And the Power of ONE goes with you wherever you go, whether it’s across the street or across the country.
Plus, you’ll have the power of CellularOne’s customer service at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. Just call, click or stop by any of CellularOne’s 24 neighborhood stores to get the power of the best local and nationwide customer service.
Or, if you need a place where you can drop off a used cell phone, CellularOne has the power of EveryONE – over 180 local employees in 24 neighborhood stores who are dedicated to providing the best local and nationwide customer service to the CellularOne family. Further information as to their site locations can be found on their website www.cellularoneonline.com

Boscovs Joins the 911 Cell Phone Bank program

Bob Mikler — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:21:35 +0000

The 911 Cell Phone Bank program is proud to welcome Boscovs Department Store, America’s largest family owned independent department store, and serving customers in the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, as a new corporate partner. This partnership came about as a result of the efforts of one store collecting cell phones on a local basis only, and then store management carrying the program to corporate headquarters, where it was adopted as a store-wide program through their department of Public Relations. Boscovs will also be conducting a special drive in honor of Earth Day 2010, which is on April 22. We look forward to working with Boscovs in the future and encourage all of our clients to consider Boscovs for their needs.

Welcome to a New Partner

Bob Mikler — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:56:30 +0000

The 911 Cell phone Bank program is pleased to announce the addition of a new corporate participating partner – Panhandle Telecommunications, of Guymon, Oklahoma. This new partner will expand the capabilities of the 911 Cell Phone Bank program by providing additional phones for the use of our clients, and also will create additional outlets from which consumers can choose when looking for a place to dispose of their unwanted cell phones. They will also be participating in the program as a responsible recycling agency, and they will be helping to fund various programs within the schools in their coverage area. We would encourage our clients to visit these locations if you are in their area and are looking for cell phone services of any sort.

PTCI (Panhandle Telephone Cooperative, Inc.) along with its wholly owned subsidiary company, Panhandle Telecommunication Systems, Inc. provides an array of communication services to customers in the Oklahoma Panhandle area. Services include state of the art Residential and Business Telephone services with many calling features, plus long distance service; High Speed Internet service with help desk; Cellular telephone service with nationwide plans, free mobile to mobile and free nights and weekends; Digital Cable TV service with 140+ channels, local networks, high definition including local networks, DVR, and pause live features. PTCI was established in 1954 and its subsidiary in 1983. Both are headquartered in Guymon, Oklahoma.

911 Cell PHone Bank Funds Community Safety Project

Bob Mikler — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:48:19 +0000

Melvin J Pauze, chairman for the 911 Cell Phone Bank program in the Barnstable (Mass) TRIAD, reports that one of the projects they were able to accomplish, in part because of funds provided by their participation in the program, concerned the project of verification of all street addresses in all seven villages served by the Barnstable TRIAD. Of these, Hyannas Port is the largest, with some 9000 homes. In order to accomplish this project, teams of volunteers, some 35 groups altogether, were sent out with specific routes to be checked. To aid them in their efforts, each volunteer received a stipend to help defray the costs involved in the use of their personal vehicles. Monies were primarily used to purchase the gasoline which was consumed while verifying address on their routes. He indicated that the TRIAD spent some $350.00 on this project; prior number verification projects in the other villages had been done without the benefit of such assistance. Further, he indicated that he received a higher percentage of volunteers when he could assure them that at least a portion of their expenses would be reimbursed.

Thanks, Mel, for sharing this application with us, and we appreciate your continued support of the 911 Cell Phone Bank program.

How our Clients Utilize 911 Cell Phone Bank Funds

Bob Mikler — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:54:59 +0000

Cherie Aschenbrenner, Elderly Service Officer and Crime Prevention Specialist for the Elgin Police Department (Illinois), shares with us a special project that the Elgin Township TRIAD was able to accomplish last year, using funds which had been generated by their collection efforts for the 911 Cell Phone Bank program: “Thru Elgin Township TRIAD, we collected [...]